


Fighting for Tomorrow

by orphan_account



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Developing Relationship, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Juzen, M/M, Mint Eye, Multi, Rika is a bitch, SC is an oc, Spoilers in description, Stockholm Syndrome, Yooran, and drugs, and pretty much everywhere, for pretty much every route, has some of the other routes, mentions of torture, poly relationship between jumin zen and MC, so ya, yoosung bad end
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-12
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-08-30 12:24:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 21,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8533015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Stuck at Mint Eye with no way to leave, Yoosung has to come to terms with the fact that he may never escape, never see his family and friends again. As he adjust's to his new life, he begins to learn the shocking truth behind Mint Eye and Rika. Slowly but surely, Yoosung feels his sanity begin to break...Saeran has spent most of his life worshipping Rika, the saviour that took him away from his no good mother when his own brother betrayed him and left. He truly believes in her and Magenta and will do anything to make it a reality. Until Yoosung arrives. At first, it's just ordered to make sure he fits in at Paradise and understands their cause, but as he spends time with him, Saeran starts to fall in love. Soon he starts questioning everything he believes in, especially whether Rika is truly the saviour she says she is. One thing is for sure, Saeran isn't going to let Yoosung break.Meanwhile, Everything at the RFA is completely Topsy Turvy as the work to find Yoosung, deal with the party, rumours, and their growing relationships with each other.





	1. I'll be your Prisoner

Chapter 1: I’ll be your Prisoner

 

_Lock me up and throw away the key…_  
_I don’t care if I’m in trouble deep…_  
_I’m addicted to you love…_  
_I’ll be your prisoner!_

 

_Prisoner- Jeffree Star_

 

Yoosung let out a quiet groan as he fell to the small, uncomfortable bed. The mattress could hardly be called that, more reminiscent of a straw mat and the blanket was old and scratchy with some mysterious stains he didn’t want to think about. Behind him, the door slammed close and he heard light footsteps leading away from his “room”. He let out a sigh of relief. He was gone, at least for now.

 

He slowly sat up, ignoring the aching pain in his legs and back. He had no idea how long ‘Unknown’ had made him stand up, but he had a feeling it had several hours. Yoosung slowly pulled off his fancy dress shoes and placed them in the corner. Then he proceeded to change out of the rest of the suit, making sure to fold it neatly before placing it in the single wooden chair. He pulled on a single cotton shirt and pants that he found in the single drawer of the nightstand. He gingerly laid down on the bed, holding his hand up to the collar that he had been forbidden from taking off. He clutched the small lock. As if he could possibly open it without the key.

 

He let out a sob as he wrapped his arms around himself. He was stuck here forever. He would never get to see anyone in the RFA anymore. Not Jaehee, Seven, Jumin, Zen. Not SC or MC. It was a small price to pay, though. MC, the first person to ever understand him since Rika, was safe. He smiled through his tears. She had been so good to him, like a big sister. It had been so easy to compare her to Rika. It hurt to think of the pain he had caused her when he refused to acknowledged she and Rika were different people. 

 

He hoped everyone at the RFA would keep her safe. It hadn’t been her fault that all of this had happened, she had been a victim, and Yoosung had found himself wishing they had never met if only so she’d be okay. He closed his eyes, exhaustion winning over. Perhaps everything would have been better that way. 

 

___________

 

“...ake up! I said wake up!” Yoosung bolted up, letting out a yelp at his protesting muscles. His back, his neck, and both of his legs felt extremely sore. He looked up only to see an extremely annoyed Unknown. He gulped, and quickly looked back down.

 

“About time,” Unknown mumbled, mostly to himself. “We’ll have to work on that, I don’t have the time to wake you up, especially if you take so long.”

 

“...Sorry,” Yoosung mumbled quietly. He clutched his hands in his arms. He had a heavy feeling of dread building up.  
“Well if you are that sorry, you can make it up by actually eating today,” he said, and Yoosung heard the anger that built up at the end of the sentence. He quickly nodded. Unknown put down a tray on the nightstand.

 

“Good. Make sure to drink your medicine at the end as well,” He stated, and Yoosung looked up.

 

“M-medicine?” he stuttered, surprised. Unknown nodded.

 

“Yes. And you better not do anything stupid or lie to me. If you do that, I can’t guarantee the safety of your precious MC,” He threatened with a smirk. Yoosung clenched his fists but said nothing. Eventually, Unknown walked out and locked the door behind him. Yoosung pushed off the scratchy blanket and sat at the edge of the table. The tray had a plate of oatmeal, a plain looking biscuit, a glass of orange juice, and a little cup with two mint colored pills. He hadn’t eaten in so long, and by now just the thought of food made him nauseous, but he knew he had to do it. 

 

He took a small bite of the oatmeal and noted it actually tasted good. Really good. He picked up the biscuit. It tasted amazing. He managed to eat the whole biscuit and little more than a half of the oatmeal. He set the bowl down and looked at the pills. He really didn’t want to take them, who knew what they would do to him. At the same time, who knew what Unknown would do to MC if he didn’t. He took a deep breath and popped them in his mouth before chugging down the glass of orange juice.

 

After a few minutes, he didn’t feel any different and decided that whatever they did, he’d just wait it out. He curled up on the bed again. He wondered if Unknown would get mad at the fact that he didn’t eat all of the food. After all, he did manage to eat most of it. Surely he’d understand that Yoosung would get sick if he ate too much? He let out a shaky laugh and pushed his hair out of his eyes. He hadn’t been allowed to keep his hairclips. Probably just in case he tried to hurt himself. He had to admit that it did sound tempting. To end his life, to be rid of this horrifying fate.

 

_______________

 

[707 has entered the chatroom]

 

>MC: Seven!  
>MC: What happened!  
>MC: You guys were gone for so long!  
>MC: And you wouldn’t answer!  
>MC: Where’s Yoosung?

 

>707:...

 

>MC: Seven?

 

>707: MC…  
>707: god.  
>707: i’m so sorry  
>707: i couldn’t save him.

 

>MC:...  
>MC: what?  
>MC: If this is a joke it isn’t very funny!

 

[SC has entered the chatroom]

 

>SC: What happened?  
>SC: You aren’t serious right?

 

>707:...

 

>SC: Luciel Choi!  
>SC: What the fuck happened!

 

>707: Mint Eye

 

>MC: Mint Eye?  
>MC: Isn’t that the name of that bogus cult thing Jaehee got in the mail?  
>MC: What does that have to do with anything?

 

>707: it wasn’t as harmless as V said.  
>707: they were the hackers that brought u two here.  
>707: i’m so sorry!  
>707: yoosung...they took him.

 

>MC:...what…  
>MC:...no  
>MC: No!  
>MC: you said you’d keep him safe seven!

 

>SC: And you just left him there?  
>SC: You’re just sitting here!

 

>MC:...i shouldn’t have let him go.  
>MC: this is all my fault. 

 

>SC: You better be doing something to get him back Luciel.

 

>707:... i will! I won’t rest until he’s back.

 

[Unknown has entered the chatroom]

 

Unknown: Good luck with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, thanks for reading! So if you couldn't tell, this is basically based on the Yoosung bad end. I am having a field day with Yooran and so I felt the need to contribute to this lovely fandom. This story will throw out the 11-day rule and the plots from the other routes will end up here.
> 
> As for who SC is, it's basically a headcanon that MC is with another person when she receives the text and so they check it out together and both end up in the RFA.
> 
> MC and SC (who are cousins) will simply be their name initials, and I'm rubbish at names so if anybody wants to help and suggest some Korean names to give them that fit the initials, by all means, go ahead.


	2. Sick

“I’m sorry my Savior,” Saeran said, bowing down to her. She gave him a kind smile.

 

“It’s okay. Just see to it that it doesn’t happen again. Yoosung is very special to me. I hope you’ll take care of him and make sure he comes to love Magenta.” Saeran nodded, feeling ashamed. He hadn’t thought before he acted. He was fortunate to have such an understanding savior.

 

“You may go now,” Rika instructed and Saeran nodded, standing up swiftly and walking out. Another member walked in to talk to their Saviour and they nodded to each other in acknowledgment. Saeran walked over to the Monitor wing, determined to do things right. He hadn’t been conscious of his Saviours attachment to Yoosung. To be honest he had a bit of difficulty understanding her reasoning. After all, a family didn’t mean anything to him, but to Rika it probably did. 

 

The monitor wing was filled with various rooms filled with people all overseeing almost every area of their Paradise. He walked into the room in charge of the basement, where all the newcomers were put in until they were well enough to join the rest of the members in Magenta.

 

“How is he?” Saeran asked Minho, the member in charge of monitoring Yoosung.

 

“He has been behaving better,” Minho answered, with a slight bow of his head. Saeran was one of the higher status members. “He ate some of his food, though not all. He also drank his medicine which is good. He is looking a bit ill, though.”

 

“Very well,” he said and walked out in the direction of the basement. Was it his fault that Yoosung was ill? Rika would not be pleased if that were so. She had been very lenient earlier, but her tone of voice had been clear; He was not to make any more mistakes when it came to Yoosung anymore. He let out a slight shiver. Rika did not like it when he covered up his tattoo so he had left his sweater behind in his room. Unfortunately, the basement was very cold, making him regret that decision. 

 

He reached Yoosung’s room and pulled the key ring from his pocket. He unlocked the door and opened it. Just as Minho had said, Yoosung had left a little less than half of the oatmeal, and he was currently on the bed, shivering, his arm clutching his stomach. Saeran walked over to him and touched his forehead. It was warm, he probably had a slight fever but nothing too serious.

 

“Yoosung...yoosung,” he whispered gently shaking the blonde to wake him up. Yoosung blearily opened his eyes, at first confused but then scared as soon as he saw him. He would have fixed this. Rika would not like it if Yoosung felt uncomfortable anytime he saw him or any of the other members. 

 

“Relax,” Saeran told him quietly. Yoosung nodded though he was still tense, and in pain, from the expression his eyes wore.

 

“Can you get up?” He asked. Yoosung in response to his question attempted to stand up, only to double over in pain. Saeran sighed, trying to hide his annoyance before picking him up bridal style.

 

“Wha-” Yoosung said, startled. 

 

“You're sick,” Saeran informed him. “I'm taking you to the infirmary.”

 

Saeran had never been a particularly strong person, but Yoosung was surprisingly light. He wondered if it was because the blond hadn't eaten in a few days. With Yoosung in his arms, he pushed the door open and shut it with his foot. He walked down the corridor and over to the elevator where he managed to punch in the code without putting the blonde down.

 

“Why’re you being so nice?” Yoosung mumbled. Somehow Saeran got the feeling that he wasn’t meant to hear that so he ignored it. The elevator opened and Saeran walked quickly to the Infirmary. One of their members happened to be a renown doctor so he’d be able to deal with whatever Yoosung had. 

 

“Yoosung.”

 

“Huh?” the boy muttered, blearily opening his eyes. Yoosung definitely wasn’t well. 

 

“Knock on the door, I have my hands full,” Saeran said. Yoosung gave a weak nod and lifted his hand. Several weak knocks later it opened to reveal brother Il-Sung.

 

“Oh! What happened?” He asked, ushering them in. The Saviour spared no expense when it came to the health of the members so the Infirmary was state of the art. Saeran carefully deposited Yoosung onto one of the beds.

 

“I’m not sure. He seems to be on the edge of a fever and his stomach seems to hurt,” he explained. Brother Il-sung nodded.

 

“I see. Did he eat yet? Has he gone through any strenuous activity lately?”

 

“He ate the same as everybody else today.” Saeran paused for a moment. “He did start his medicine today. As for activity, he has been on his feet a lot these past few days. Today is actually the first time he has eaten since he got here.” 

 

Brother Il-Sung took note of this. 

 

“I’ll have to run some tests first and talk to brother…” 

 

“Yoosung”

 

“Brother Yoosung,” he continued. “It is possible it might be an effect of starting the medicine in such a poor condition.”

 

Saeran nodded. “Very well. I’ll be back in a while to see what he’s doing. Oh and take good care of him, he’s our Saviour’s brother.” Brother Il-sung bowed his head. Saeran turned around and walked out, nearly running into Brother Ki-Tae. He frowned.

 

“Oh, Brother Saeran,” Ki-Tae said. “Don’t tell you’re sick again? Really, I don’t know why our Saviour bothers with you?” Saeran started counting to ten in his head. Violence against members tended to be frowned upon, and he definitely didn’t want to give brother Ki-Tae any more reasons to talk.

 

“No,” he answered as calmly as he could. “I am simply here to drop brother Yoosung off.”

 

“Brother Yoosung? Our Saviour’s brother? Don’t tell me you went against her orders and hurt him?” 

 

You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Saeran thought. He simply gave brother Ki-Tae a glance and said, “The medicine simply didn’t agree with him.” Then he walked away quickly before Ki-Tae could bother him anymore.

 

Ki-Tae was the bane of his existence. He had arrived a while after Mint Eye had started, and had become one of Rika’s favorite. He was still way below Saeran’s status, yet he showed no respect, something that annoyed him to no end. Not to mention he was always nitpicking everything he did, always putting him down for his delicate state of health. Saeran could only hope and wait for him to make a mistake. Maybe a scolding from their Saviour would lower his ego.

 

He walked over to his room, located on the top floor, the floor for Rika’s most trusted. Only five people including Rika inhabited this floor, and the rooms were all spacious and lavish. This floor was restricted to the other members because it was also where they met to discuss the important things, and where Saeran’s office was. The only way to have access here was if you were already living here, or Rika summoned you.

 

As soon as he entered he entered his room, he picked up his sweater and pulled it on. His savior would understand, it was always difficult when he got sick, and now more than ever he needed to be alert, just in case the RFA tried anything to get Yoosung back.

 

He opened the door to his office and stared at his computers. It had nearly been a week since the incident. A week since he had seen Saeyoung… his brother. He ignored the bitter ache in his heart and sat down. He had work to do.

 

______________

 

MC Stared blankly at the wall. One week had gone by since Yoosung had gone missing. She resisted the urge to punch the wall, as she had already done so the past few days. She had to stay strong for Yoosung and for the rest of the RFA. She sighed as she looked down at her bandaged up hands. 

 

They were all visibly shaken by this turn of events. Especially Seven who had lost Yoosung in the first place. Still, she knew they all had to get their act together. They had the party in two days to deal with. Jaehee and Zen had wanted to cancel it, but MC knew Yoosung would want them to throw it. This party was important to him, and she's making sure it would happen. Jumin had agreed with him, and V… he had yet to comment anything on the subject.

 

It angered her that he didn’t but deep inside, the part of her that had minored in Psychology knew there was a reason for this. She could tell he cared, but she also knew there was too much he was hiding. That wasn’t going to stop her, though. She was going to do as much as she could to keep the RFA hopeful and together and to help save Yoosung. 

 

A knock on the door startled her. She turned to look at SC who was curled up on the computer chair with his phone, doing who knows what. Hopefully, he wasn’t answering emails again. He was awful at it and tended to have no tact. He had already scared off three possible guests. Seven would be disappointed that Longcat wouldn’t be attending.

 

“Are we expecting anyone?” She asked SC and he shook his head. She pulled out her phone, and though every action hurt her hand, she quickly logged into the RFA Chat.

 

[MC has entered the chatroom]

 

>MC: So someone is knocking on the door  
>MC: With everything that’s happened  
>MC: Opening it wouldn’t be wise  
>MC: Or so I think

 

>707: don’t worry  
>707: it’s just me  
>707: Seven oh seven! Defender of justice!  
>707: i am worried tho.  
>707: will SC punch me if the door is opened?

 

>MC: ya.

 

>707: ∑(ﾟﾛﾟ〃)

 

>MC: I’m just kidding.  
>MC: He’ll behave.  
>MC: I’ll go open the door.

 

[MC has left the chat room]

 

“It’s Seven. Also, don’t punch him, I told him you’d behave and I don’t want to look like a liar.”

 

“Why’d you go and do that?” SC asked. MC gave him a look and he rolled his eyes.

 

“Fine,” he agreed and MC smiled thankfully at him. She walked over to the door and pulled it open to reveal a very sleep deprived Seven.

 

“Seven, come in!” she said closing the door behind him. SC, who she knew had been very close with Seven, barely spared him a glance.

 

“Hey MC. SC” he greeted, taking a seat on a chair by the entrance. MC walked over to kitchenette and pulled a Ph.D. Pepper from the fridge, before handing it over to the exhausted hacker.

 

“Seven, please tell me you’re getting some sleep.

 

“Maybe.” He answered cryptically. She could see SC was getting worried. 

 

“Seven,” she chastised. “You aren’t good to anyone if you pass out from exhaustion.”

 

“I know, I know,” he said. “I actually came here to talk to you about this whole issue. You too SC.”

 

“What is it?” they chorused.

 

“Well, first of all, I want to get out two out of here. After the whole issue with the bomb and everything, it safest if you just leave. V hasn’t agreed but I think that we might have to take a look at all of Rika’s documents. There might be clues, and well this has gone all too far,” he said with a shaky breath. SC place a hand on his arm. MC’s heart warmed. Those two totally liked each other.

 

“Where would we go, though?” MC asked. This place might have been dangerous but it still had security, something their respective homes didn’t have.

 

“Well I talked with Jumin and we decided MC would go with him, and SC with me… that is if you guys don’t have any objections?”

 

“I’m okay with it. SC?”

 

“It’s cool.”

 

“Great. I mean we have a lot of things to do. I won’t make the same mistake twice so I’ll be busy. Jumin is sending some people to help move everything. I want to get you guys out of here before nightfall.”

 

“Got it. Before nightfall. Now, why don’t you let us in on everything you have to do? You look borderline ready to pass out, and SC is rubbish at organizing. I didn’t become the head coordinator for nothing.” MC said. Seven though for a few minutes before nodding.

 

“Okay see this is what we have to do…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So some of Mint Eyes inner workings are revealed, and Saeran is forced to be nice to Yoosung. Also, what could this mysterious medicine be?
> 
> Also art for this chapter: [Click Here](http://fif-the-writer.tumblr.com/post/153360891134/scene-from-the-second-chapter-of-my-mysme-yooran)
> 
> Yeah, so I just wanted to point out that there might be moments where "savior" is spelled "saviour" I tried to fix this but I might have missed a few. That being said, thanks for all the feedback. Wow, 27 kudos already :D. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Next one will be uploaded next Friday.


	3. Truce

Saeran ended up working for about five hours before he decided he could do with a break. It wasn't like the RFA had made any other attempt to hack or infiltrate them and he had already upped the security by tenfold. They had been caught unaware the first time; that would not happen again.

 

He stretched his arms and rolled his back, feeling his joints pop. Rubbing his tired eyes, he walked out making sure to lock his office up properly. As he walked out he ran into Rika.

 

“Saeran!” She called out.

 

“My Saviour,” he acknowledged. She stopped right in front of him, her face full of worry.

 

“I heard Yoosung was in the infirmary. What happened?”

 

“I'm not sure as of yet my Saviour. Brother Il-sung does think it might have been the medicine.” He told her. She frowned.

 

“I see. I'll go have a talk with him later to see what we can do about that. How are you, you look tired. Are you sick again?”

 

“Ah no. I've been working to make sure we don't have any more incidents like the one from last week.” He explained. His throat did feel a bit scratchy but he hoped it wouldn't go farther than that.

 

“Don't overwork yourself Saeran,” she warned good-naturedly. “Your health is very important too.”

 

Saeran bowed his head respectfully. “Yes, my Saviour.” She nodded and then continued walking to her own office. Saeran himself headed down to the infirmary to see how Yoosung was. 

 

“Brother Il-sung,” he greeted as he walked through the door. “How is he”

 

“Ah, Brother Saeran. Brother Yoosung is doing much better. It was as I suspected. With his body being too fatigued and malnourished, the medicine took a nasty effect. It didn't help that he ate so much after not eating for a while. He should recover by tomorrow, though I do not suggest we give him the medicine until they day after.” He explained. Saeran nodded.

 

“Will he be able to eat normally?”

 

“He definitely needs to eat and I will give him vitamin supplements he needs to take, though for today and tomorrow the portions of food should be small as to let his stomach get used to food again. Actually, he should be waking up soon, so I was about to send someone to fetch him some food.”

 

“I'll go,” Saeran said. The kitchen was on the second level and when he got there people were already wandering in. It was lunch time. 

 

“Sister Mi,” Saeran greeted. Mi was one of their newer members, she had been assigned to kitchen duty.

 

“Brother Saeran,” she greeted. “You never get lunch this early,” she commented.

 

“I'm not here for my lunch. I'll pass by later as usual. One of our new members is in the Infirmary. Could you give me a tray with a smaller portion than usual? He can't have too much food.”

 

“Right away!” Mi said, and gracefully began to serve up a tray. As she did so she began a conversation.

 

“You generally don't take care of the recruits,” she stated. Saeran shook his head.

 

“I don't but our Saviour instructed me to do so. He is very important to her.”

 

“Oh? I had heard rumors of her brother being here, though I had assumed it was just brother Ki-Tae being ambiguous as usual.” She said as she handed him the tray. He nodded.

 

“The rumors aren't wrong this time. Thank you.”

 

He walked back to the infirmary where Yoosung, just like Il-sung had said, was awake. He deposited the tray on the table next to him and watched as Yoosung visibly shrunk back. He sighed. Thanks to his stupidity, this was going to take a while.

 

_____________

 

When Yoosung woke up, he was confused. What happened? Where was he? This definitely wasn’t his cell. Then the earlier events caught up with him. He was at the infirmary, where Unknown had taken him to after he had gotten sick. He vaguely remembered someone who introduced himself as “brother Il-sung” asking him questions but after that everything seemed kind of hazy.

 

He yawned and stretched his arms, wincing when he pulled at the needle in his arm attached to an IV. To be honest, he was surprised Unknown had cared so much about his health. Was this some kind of trick? For all he knew, the point of those strange pills was to make him feel like this.

 

His train of thought was broken when the door opened to reveal an apathetic-looking Unknown with a tray of food. His stomach churned at the thought of having to eat again. Unknown walked over and set the tray down beside him. Yoosung involuntarily moved back. Just being near the white haired man made him nervous.  
“Eat,” he said, or in Yoosung’s opinion, commanded. When Yoosung didn’t move, Unknown sighed. 

 

“Listen, you’re here because you refused to eat in the first place. You aren’t expected to eat absolutely everything, but I refuse to let you malnourished yourself. Just remember I know where your precious MC is.” He walked over to a door over to the left. It wasn’t the exit, not unless there were multiple ones in the room. “I’m going to talk to brother Il-Sung, you have better begun to eat when I come back.” With that threat left lingering in the air, Unknown walked into the other room. Yoosung let out a shaky breath and looked over at the tray of food.

 

He carefully settled it over his lap, ignoring the pain his back gave him when he did. It seemed he hadn’t been sleeping for that long seeing as his muscles still ached. His food included a small bowl of what he recognized to be soft tofu stew with a side bowl of rice. His drink was nothing more than a single glass of water. Despite his still queasy and aching stomach, Yoosung began to eat. Like before, the food tasted absolutely amazing and he ate as much as he could. When Unknown came back, he had eaten most of the stew and about a fourth of the rice. The rest of the tray had been set aside. 

 

“Is that all you’re going to eat?” Unknown asked. Yoosung nodded hesitantly. Unknown picked up the tray and nodded. 

 

“Brother Il-Sung says you’ll be released tomorrow morning. Also, here. Take that off,” Unknown said and a key was dropped into Yoosung’s lap. Then he was gone. The key was small enough to fit the lock holding his collar in place. He unlocked it and pulled it off, almost immediately finding that he could breathe a little easier. 

 

“Brother Yoosung?” It was Il-Sung, the doctor. 

 

“Yes?” he asked timidly.

 

“How are you feeling?” He asked, approaching him with a clipboard in hand. 

 

“Much better,” he answered truthfully. 

 

“That’s good. I’m going to ask you a few questions to update your medical record here, is that okay.” Yoosung nodded, not trusting the consequences if he said no.

 

______________

 

MC sighed as she dropped down her few bags of belongings on the floor of the bedroom Jumin had given to her. It was a nice room, though the white walls were a little bit of an eyesore. Luckily it seemed Jumin had remembered her favorite color when he instructed its furnishing, and so that canceled out the plainness of the walls a bit. She considered herself a little bit higher than the middle class, but this room was probably worth her considerably smaller penthouse. 

 

She pulled out her phone and logged into the chatroom.

 

[MC has entered the chat room]

 

>MC: Hello.

 

>ZEN: Hi Princess!  
>ZEN: (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

 

>SC: Will you ever stop flirting with MC?

 

>MC: Uh oh.  
>MC: It seems SC has entered protective cousin mode.

 

>SC: I’m just really in the mood to punch someone.

 

>ZEN: Not my beautiful face, you aren’t.

 

>MC: Haha.  
>MC: So how are you settling in at 707’s place  
>MC:(－ｏ⌒)

 

>SC: MC.  
>SC: Stop.

 

>MC: Awwww  
>MC: Are you blushing?  
>MC: I bet you’re blushing, haha.

 

>SC: I’m not blushing!

 

>MC: Haha!  
>MC: SC is totally blushing. 

 

>SC: shut up!  
>SC: (;¬_¬)

 

>ZEN: Why so shy?  
>ZEN: It’s not like it’s a secret that you like Seven.

 

>SC: Zen.  
>SC: If you don’t shut up.  
>SC: You can say goodbye to that pretty face of yours.

 

>ZEN: You threaten me but not MC?  
>ZEN: That’s not fair  
>ZEN: | ￣ヘ￣|

 

>SC: Life’s not fair.

 

>MC: That, and I have too much blackmail on him.  
>MC: ^^

 

>SC: -__-

 

[Jumin Han has entered the chat room]

 

>MC: Jumin!  
>MC: Hello  
>MC: o(〃＾▽＾〃)o

 

>Jumin Han: Hello MC>  
>Jumin Han: I hope you’re settling in well?

 

>MC: Yup!  
>MC: Everything is ok.  
>MC: I really like the room!

 

>Jumin Han: That’s good.  
>Jumin Han: I had it customized to your likes. 

 

>MC: Thanks! 

 

>Jumin Han: You are welcome.  
>Jumin Han: I’ll be taking my leave now.  
>Jumin Han: I just came in to see how you were doing MC.

 

[Jumin Han has left the chat room]

 

>ZEN: How rude.  
>ZEN: He didn’t even bother saying hello to the rest of us.

 

>MC: Oh?  
>MC: Is someone jelly?  
>MC: Don’t tell me you wanted Jumin to say hello to you too?  
>MC: ✩꒳✩

 

>ZEN: what?  
>ZEN: As if.  
>ZEN: I just think he was rude. 

 

>MC: Suuuuuure.  
>MC: Anyways, Zen’s denial aside, I should go  
>MC: I have some unpacking to do.  
>MC: SC, make sure Seven doesn’t overwork himself.

 

>SC: kay kay.  
>ZEN: Bye MC ^^

 

[MC has left the chat room]

 

MC shut her phone off and turn over to look at the ceiling. It was so hard to pretend everything was okay, to live every day as if nothing had happened. She glanced at all the boxes of files in her room. She would find out the truth and do everything in her power to bring Yoosung back, and nothing could stop her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :3 
> 
> Poor Yoosung is sick, oh no! Also a bit more with MC and the other. We will have a lot more of that in the next chappy. See you guys next week! Also if you feel up to it, check out [My Tumblr](http://fif-the-writer.tumblr.com/)


	4. Missing

Saeran dropped the stack of blankets on the pitiful excuse for the bed and took a look around the room. While Rika wanted to move him out of the lower lever, even she had to admit that it would be best if Yoosung stayed here. At least until he had taken enough of his medicine. Still, he could make sure the blond was somewhat comfortable here during his stay.

 

The lower level was where all the new recruits were kept. Since they all very knew, they didn’t always accept Min Eye’s ideals. Well, at least not at first. After they started taking the medicine and began to understand, they were allowed to a room on the resident levels. The security here was manual. Several deadbolts and a padlock on a steel reinforced door. They weren’t taking their chances on digital security. Not after the incident a few years ago when the power had gone out and several of the recruits had escaped and caused a riot.

 

He sighed. It was kind of annoying that he was doing all this work usually assigned to a first tier resident but he couldn’t complain. In fact, he felt honored that the Saviour had decided to trust him with this task. He doubted it’d be too complicated. From the two weeks he spied on the RFA, he could tell Yoosung was easy to please. Winning him over was going to be a simple task. All he needed to do was show him kindness and genuine remorse for his actions and he would not have any problems in getting Yoosung to trust him.

 

Satisfied that the room was in order, Saeran closed the door behind him and headed to the infirmary to pick Yoosung up and escort him back. To be honest, he was a bit skeptical that he’d be able to pull this off. Saeran wasn’t the most expressive person out there, and he felt that if he forced himself, Yoosung think he was being fake and it would ruin everything. The medicine made people very suggestive and if he wasn’t careful Yoosung could end up extremely paranoid instead. 

 

When he arrived at the infirmary, brother Il-Sung was helping a dizzy looking Yoosung up. Despite his obvious lightheadedness, Yoosung definitely looked better. His eyes were much brighter and some color had returned to his face. Hopefully, he would also regain his weight in the days to come. He looked far too thin to look healthy, no doubt a side effect of having starved himself for nearly a week.

 

“Ah, brother Saeran. You’re here.” Saeran nodded in response and stood next to Yoosung, helping steady him. Yoosung flinched at his touch but didn’t try to pull away. Progress, Saeran thought.

 

“Well, brother Yoosung is ready to go. He is still a bit weak, but with plenty of rest and proper meals, he should recover in no time,” brother Il-Sung informed. “As for his medicine, he can start taking it tonight.”

 

“Thank you,” he said and the doctor bowed his head. Saeran turned to Yoosung and tugged his arm gently. 

 

“Let’s go,” he said, hoping it didn’t sound too demanding. Yoosung nodded and began to walk allowing Saeran to lead him. The ride down was very quiet and somewhat awkward, and Saeran found himself wishing it would end soon. He was sure Yoosung was thinking something similar.

 

Finally, they made it to the lower level where Saeran opened the door to Yoosung’s room. The blonde sat down on the bed and let out a yawn. Saeran lingered for a few minutes before taking a deep breath and calling Yoosung.

 

“H-huh?” he asked, a little startled that Saeran had called him.

 

“I… I wanted to apologize for my behavior these past few days.” Yoosung look bewildered, so Saeran continued.

 

“I was out of line and didn’t think things through. I let my emotions get the best of me and did things I shouldn’t have.” From the look on his face, Yoosung didn’t know what to respond to this.

 

“Anyways, as long as you behave I can make sure that never happens again.”

 

“I...uh...Okay.” Yoosung said. Saeran nodded.

 

“Okay then. Rest, I’ll be back later with your lunch.” With that, he left. Saeran pinched the bridge of his nose. Human interactions were so difficult.

 

______________

 

SC’s original plan of avoiding Seven was not working out. This was mostly due to the fact that said red-head was ignoring him, something which he did not appreciate at all. He groaned from his spot on the couch causing Vanderwood the ‘maid’ to glance at him in annoyance. SC sighed. This really sucked.

 

He stood up and walked over to his room. He had enough sense to know that he should under no circumstances interrupt Seven when Vanderwood was here, and thus he was left to his own devices. He checked the time. Nine; MC would definitely be asleep. He let out a sigh and pulled his laptop out. He might as well get some work done. Just because MC was quitting didn’t mean he had the luxury to do so. Quitting meant leaving the small company he had built fend for its own. He was somewhat attached to it, so he wasn’t planning on letting it crumble. Not to mention, he did enjoy his job most of the time. 

 

About two hours had passed when he was interrupted mid work by MC’s ringtone. He barely looked away from the screen as he answered, putting it on speaker.

 

“Ya?” he asked.

 

“Heya what’s up?”

 

“Working,” he answered, keeping his answers short. He was coding a particularly tricky aspect and he didn’t want to lose concentration.

 

“Cool. Well, anyways you know how I’m working on reading all those files from Rika’s apartment and stuff?” She asked.

 

“Yup.”

 

“Yeah well, I chose a random box and started reading, and well the first file made absolutely no sense what so ever. They looked similar to English letters and at first, I thought I was reading English but it’s definitely not English. It’s a similar language, but definitely made up.”

 

“So… she's like making the code?” SC asked her.

 

“Well I mean I’ve been trying to decipher it, and thank god English is my first language, and it still doesn’t make sense. From the looks of it, she scrambled the words.”

 

“So you’ve gotten nowhere?”

 

“Not exactly. Please, SC has some faith in me. I did decipher like half a paragraph. I got a name.”

 

“Who’s?” 

 

“Miyoung Lee.” SC paused and looked at his phone.

 

“As in one of your roommates from the dark days?” He could hear MC scoff.

 

“Could you please stop calling it that? But yes it’s Mi. I mean I knew that before I even read the file by the picture but yeah. Here’s the thing, though. I was curious so I called her. Her brother answered. Mi’s been missing for a while.”

 

SC backed up his file and closed his laptop. 

 

“But you talked with her the other day?”

 

“ I did, three days before we joined the RFA. She went missing five days after that. According to her brother- and I noticed this too- she was a bit too spacey and weird. Before she left, Mi told her brother she was going to a party and never came back.”

 

“That is creepy. Very creepy,” SC commented. Then he remembered something.

 

“Hey, didn’t the email Jaehee got say something about a never ending party?”

 

“Huh? Did it? Tell Seven to send me a screenshot or something then.”

 

“Will do.”

 

“Good. I’m gonna go out actually, so I might not answer the phone for a while. Cover for me. Jumin, Zen, and Jaehee don’t exactly know what we’re doing right now and those three are so pro-V that it’s ridiculous.”

 

“Gotcha, but where exactly are you going?”

 

“There was another file with Chae-won’s name so Ima go visit her. Speaking of which, I’m late so I gotta go. Tell my findings to your boy.”

 

“He’s not my- dammit she hung up?” SC rolled his eyes at MC’s antics. He sighed. MC had always been reckless, but hopefully, she wouldn’t go too far. The dark days, as he liked to call them, had proven she wasn’t made for jail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another day, another chapter! Thank you all for the support I've been getting on this fic, it means a lot to me that so many people like it! I love you all so much <3
> 
> Here is [My Tumblr](http://fif-the-writer.tumblr.com/) Feel free to go and message me if you want to so we can fangirl over Mysme and other fandoms we might have in common. Also, if you feel like it maybe follow me?
> 
> Haha, thanks everyone! <3


	5. Brainwashed

MC hopped off the bus and ran before the crosslight changed. She stopped for a few seconds to catch her breath before picking up the pace and making her way to the Cafe she and Chae-won always met at. 

 

“Late to somewhere?” Someone asked behind her. MC gave a startled jump before turning around. She glared.

 

“Chae-won Choi! Don’t do that!”

 

“Haha, sorry Myu-Myu,” she said, not looking sorry at all. MC rolled her eyes and began to walk.

 

“I don’t know why you insist on calling me that Chae-won. MC is not all that difficult to say.”

 

“Sorry Myu-Myu. I think it’s cute. Way cuter than just being called by your initials. Is that some weird Britannic custom or something?” MC shook her head.

 

“Nope, just something me and SC came up with.” She opened the door to the cafe. They both quickly claimed their regular table and ordered. Chae-won turned to look at her, the playfulness from earlier gone.

 

“You said you wanted to talk about something to do with Mi’s disappearance?” MC nodded, resisting the urge to bite her nails. Old habits died hard.

 

“Yeah. I wanted to know if you knew anything about some sort of cult called “Mint Eye” or perhaps someone named Rika Kim?” She asked. A dark look suddenly passed Chae-won’s face.

 

“Where did you get that from?” She demanded. 

 

“So you know something?” 

 

“Myung-soon! Where did you get that? What does this even have to do with Mi?” Chae-won was getting very agitated, nervous and distraught. 

 

“Chae-won, please! It’s really important!” Not that her pleas did much. Chae-won stood up.

 

“No, I mean these are documents, that how did you even find them, I’m sorry I can’t!” She said, her sentence completely out of order. 

 

“I think Rika Kim took Mi! She has files on her, files on you!” She called out. Chae-won froze.

 

“What?”

 

“Rika has a lot of files on a whole bunch of different people. A friend of mine got an email from someplace called Mint Eye, and Mi isn’t the only one missing. Yoosung is there and I have to save him, I have to save Mi, I have to save everyone.” Okay so maybe she over exaggerated a little. She wasn’t as generous as to care about others. Still, she needed as much information as she could get. Chae-won sighed and sat down.

 

“I-I’m not supposed to tell you anything. There’s this guy who paid a lot of money to some lawyer to make it go away. I could loose my job.”

 

“Mint colored hair?” MC asked. Chae-won nodded. 

 

“That’s the one. It was back when I was working in the clinic. He brought Rika Kim. She looked fine at first, but Myu, this woman was all kinds of crazy. As soon as earned her trust, she would spill all sorts of nonsense. She had schizophrenia and one hell of a god-complex. She was convinced that she was the only salvation for everyone. She was borderline dangerous. She left after three weeks. I tried to convince the other guy to have her committed but he refused. For months I heard nothing, then Mi came along. She talked about this child. His name was Sae…. I don’t really remember. I can get you the files, though. Rika, she drugged this kid up bad, but she lost the case to take him away from her. The whole thing, It was covered up real good. I was even forced to mark her file as suicidal.”

 

“Sooo… Eternal paradise. That sounds like her?” MC asked.

 

“Her Magenta, she called it.” MC sighed this was going to be very hard. Hopefully, she wouldn’t end up mentally scarred.

 

______________

 

After their conversation at the Cafe, they ended up walking to Chae-won’s workplace to pick up the files. Coincidentally, this happened to be C&R. What Jumin’s company needed with a psychologist was beyond her, but MC just hoped Jumin wouldn’t find her. Except for her luck really only worked in important situations and perhaps the universe didn’t deem this as an important situation because as she chanted her mantra of “please don’t let Jumin find me”, a voice from behind spoke.

 

“MC? What are you doing here.” Well shit.

 

“Oh uhm… Hey, Jumin.” She greeted cheerfully, only faltering for a second. Unfortunately, Jumin was so emotionally stunted that he could see right through her many facades. It made things difficult.

 

“I’m just waiting for a friend,” she answered truthfully. “She works here and there are a few files she needed to give me. Research for one of my books.” Not too much of a lie. Jumin frowned.

 

“You could have asked for it to be brought to you. I really don’t like that you have to leave the penthouse. And you didn’t bring any bodyguards either. What if something happened?” MC narrowed her eyes in annoyance. 

 

“It’s the middle of the afternoon, Jumin. Nothing is going to happen to me, and I can take care of myself too.”

 

“Still, I’d be more at peace if you were safe at home. I’ll take you there now, let me call driver Kim.” Jumin said, pulling his phone out. MC through her hands up in exasperation.

 

“Listen here Mister Trust fund! I am your guest, not your prisoner, nor do I have any professionally trained assassins coming out to get me! There’s a fine line between being protective and overbearing. You’ve been crossed it!” She said. Jumin looked startled at her outburst.

 

“Uhm is everything okay?” Chae-won asked. MC gave her a look as if to say, ‘you think?’ And took the files, giving her a curt thank you and a goodbye. She did end up waiting for driver Kim with Jumin, but that was more due to the fact that she was in no mood to walk back to the bus station. The ride back was quiet and awkward.

 

_________________

 

**Two Weeks later**

 

Yoosung looked attentively at the presentation going on as Sister Jae-soon explained the founding idea behind Mint Eye. He blinked half conflicted. On one hand, he wanted to look at the board and craved to hear more about this paradise that sounded so wonderful. At the same time, he knew something was off. He couldn’t really pinpoint what it was and fought to not pay attention. Another slip of paper was passed around all the tables and Yoosung picked his up, knowing he would end up reading it whether he wanted or not. He sighed as Sister Jae-son dismissed them and patiently waited for Saeran to arrive. 

 

Everyone here from the first tier, also known as the recruits, had a minder. The minders, who were basically the fourth tier, had the job to escort their recruit from and to the seminars, make sure they drank their medicine and brought them their meals. It was also their job to make sure the recruit acclimated properly. He had already seen a minder get chastised for her particularly violent recruit.

 

“Are you ready to go?” Saeran asked as stoically as usual. Yoosung nodded and stood up. Unlike the other minders who generally cuffed their recruits, Saeran usually just guided Yoosung gently by the wrist. Not that Saeran was any normal minder. From what Yoosung had heard, he was pretty much the Saviour’s second in command. Several higher ups had already warned him from giving ‘brother’ Saeran a difficult time. Yoosung was just mildly curious as to why someone that high up was working as a minder for him. Not that he minded, in fact, he was very grateful.

 

Saeran certainly kept his promise and had treated him very well these past two weeks. He had a bunch of blankets and pillows to make sure he was comfortable, and Saeran always brought him his three meals, and sometimes even a snack in between. He trusted Yoosung enough not to cuff him like the others, and once in awhile would come down and play cards with him. Sure, Saeran didn’t say much, and he seemed to have a hard time communicating, but Yoosung didn’t mind. He enjoyed the silent safety Saeran provided for him. It was comforting. As they walked towards his room, Saeran spoke.

 

“You might get a better room soon,” he said quietly. Yoosung looked up at him.

 

“Really?” he asked. He hated his current room. It brought back bad memories of when he first got here.

 

“Yes. You’re doing well, so in the next week or so you’ll be changed to a third-floor room until your room on the top floor is finished.”

 

“Room on the top floor?” Yoosung asked curiously. Saeran nodded.

 

“Yes, orders from our savior. Your room will be next to mine.” Yoosung was confused as to why he would get a room on the top floor, usually reserved for the highest level of people but he didn’t question it. If the Saviour said something, it was probably for a good reason.

 

“That’s nice,” he said instead with a smile. Saeran gave him a smile back though it did look somewhat forced. Yoosung didn’t mind, though. He was trying after all and it was the thought that counted. 

 

They reached his current room and Saeran unlocked it. Yoosung walked in and collapsed on his bed with a sigh. He was so tired.

 

“I’ll be back in a few with your lunch,” Saeran said. Yoosung thanked him and watched as his minder walked out and locked the door. As he heard the steps lead away, he pulled out all his blankets and began to make a sort of nest. The lower level could get very cold, and Yoosung had already suffered a cold two days ago. He wrapped himself up and closed his eyes. 

 

It wasn’t so bad here at Mint Eye. Everyone seemed nice, Saeran was taking care of him, and he understood their Ideals. It was a really nice place now that he thought about. Sure his head felt fuzzy all the time, but Saeran had already explained that was because of the elevation, with Magenta being high up in the mountains and all. Soon enough it would fade and he’d be able to go outside. He had seen it through the windows on his way to and from classes; The land outside The building was truly beautiful. And as he fell asleep, Yoosung felt that he could be happy here, unaware of the drug running through his veins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm so sorry for not updating yesterday! I already have several chapters typed up, I just didn't realize it was friday, so I'm super sorry I forgot to update >_<
> 
> Thank you all for your support! ILYSM <3
> 
> Check out [my Tumblr](http://fif-the-writer.tumblr.com/) if you have time.
> 
> <3


	6. Mind State

Saeran watched as Yoosung fell down on the bed of his new room on the third level. It was sort of amusing to watch him do the same thing every day, though he was secretly glad that the blond now had a softer bed to do so on. He refused to believe it didn’t hurt jumping on the old, poor excuse of a mattress. He carefully set down Yoosung’s Portfolio with all his information about Mint Eye, and patiently waited until the eyes of the recruits were on him.

“Thank you Saeran!” Yoosung said cheerfully, and Saeran found himself giving the blonde a small smile. Recently it had become much easier to do that, though with Yoosung he wasn’t surprised. It had begun to make sense to him why Yoosung was so important to Rika. As the days passed the boy had begun to let go of his fear and reluctance, and his personality had returned to the more cheerful one he could recognize from his time spying on the chat rooms.

“You’re welcome. It’ll be a while until we can get you your other room, but this should be better than the lower level. Yoosung nodded, his blonde hair falling in front of his face.

“Hmm. your hair is a bit too long,” Saeran noted, looking at it. He also noticed that his roots were starting to show. “I’ll see about getting you a haircut, and maybe re-dyeing your hair,”

“That’d be great! It is getting in my face a lot, haha.” Yoosung said. Saeran made a note to get him some hair clips in the meantime.

“Okay, I’ll go get your breakfast, in the meantime get ready for your classes.”

Before heading to the cafeteria, Saeran quickly made his way to see the Savior.

“Saeran!”

“My Savior,” He answered respectfully. 

“How is Yoosung? Is he settling into his room okay?” She asked him. Saeran nodded.

“Yes, he seems to like it. His attitude has changed for the better too. He is way much more cheerful and happy now. I think he will be very well integrated here at our Paradise,” he told her. Rika clasped her hands in front of her with a smile.

“That’s good!” she exclaimed happily. “I knew he would, and it’s all thanks to you Saeran!” she told him. Saeran felt a small surge of pride.

“Thank you, my Savior,” He told her. She nodded at him.

“Well keep up the good work, my dear Saeran. Soon I’ll be able to see my Yoosung!” She said happily. 

After talking about a few finer details of Yoosung’s stay, Rika finally dismissed Saeran and he went upstairs. After riffling through his room, he finally found it. Yoosung’s brown hair clips he had carelessly thrown into a corner after taking them away. Until he could arrange a hair cut for the blond, this would do to keep the hair out of his face.

He put them away in his pocket and walked down to the cafeteria. After greeting Mi and picking up Yoosung’s lunch, he went back up, knocking on the door with his foot. It was much more comfortable than having to open six different locks while balancing a lunch tray in one hand. The door cracked open and He was greeted by Yoosung’s sparkling eyes and bright smile.

“Hi!” he said and opened the door wide so Saeran could walk in. Saeran set the tray down. He pulled out the hair clips and handed them over to him.

“Here, for your hair.” he said. 

“Thanks, Saeran!” Yoosung said. He bounced over to the mirror he now had, clipping his hair back and looking back at him with a smile. 

“Thank you so much for taking care of me, Saeran,” he said seriously. Saeran was taken aback. 

“You- I, mean. You really don’t have to thank me,” Saeran said. “I’m just doing my job. And besides, I wasn’t the nicest person when you got here.”

“That’s true, but you apologized! And you’ve been so nice to me as well! I’m really happy I got to meet you Saeran!”

Saeran was shocked. It had never occurred to him that he meant that much to Yoosung. He… he liked it. Being important to Yoosung. In all his years he had never really had friends. His brother and V had betrayed him. Rika was his Savior. But an actual friend, he’d never had. He gave Yoosung a smile. A genuine one.

“I’m glad I got to meet you too, Yoosung,” he told him. He suddenly felt the happiest he had in years

______________________

[Zen has entered the chat room]

>ZEN: Hey guess what!  
>ZEN: Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ

>SC: You finally got help for that Narcissistic problem you have?

>Jumin Han: That’s good.   
>Jumin Han: The first step is admitting you have a problem. 

>ZEN: Haha  
>ZEN: NO!  
>ZEN: Shut up Trust fund!  
>ZEN: No one asked you!

[MC had entered the Chat room]

>MC: I’ll be the nice one here.  
>MC: Though I certainly don’t feel like it.  
>MC: What’s the good news Lovely Zen?

>ZEN: Well Princess,

[Jumin Han has left the Chat room]

>ZEN: I have a new role!   
>ZEN: With Echo Girl!  
>ZEN: Huh?   
>ZEN: Where did Trust fund go?

>MC: Oh, Jumin’s avoiding me like the black plague  
>MC: Pay no heed.   
>MC: You were saying about your role?

>ZEN: What?

>SC: Is he really still ignoring you?  
>SC: Should I knock some sense into him?

>ZEN: I noticed you both pretty upset with each other at the party  
>ZEN: I didn’t think much of it, with all that had happened  
>ZEN: But it’s been like a month since then  
>ZEN: THAT JERK IS STILL IGNORING YOU!?  
>ZEN: 

>MC: Shi-woo  
>MC: Please do not attempt to ‘knock some sense’ into a corporate heir  
>MC: That would be stupid.  
>MC: I mean really  
>MC: I hardly care either.  
>MC: I used to be ignored.

>SC: Still…

>ZEN: No!  
>ZEN: How could a princess like you be used to being ignored?   
>ZEN: Your beauty is beyond anything I’ve ever seen!

>SC: Zen.  
>SC: Stahwp.

>MC: (´∩｡• ᵕ •｡∩`) ♡  
>MC: Thanks, Zenny!

>ZEN: Anything for my princess!

>SC: -__-

>MC: Well you were talking about your new role?

>ZEN: Ah yeah!  
>ZEN: I’m so excited!  
>ZEN: Echo Girl is pretty famous so this could be my big break!

>SC: Awesome sauce

>MC: Congrats!  
>MC: You totally deserve it!

>ZEN: Haha  
>ZEN: I’m glad you think so  
>ZEN: (⌒▽⌒)☆

>SC: Who knows  
>SC: You do well enough  
>SC: MC might finally release the book she wrote with you in mind

>ZEN:?

>MC: SC!  
>MC: shhh!  
>MC: I haven’t even finished editing yet  
>MC: >_<

>ZEN: You wrote a book about me?

>MC: Ya  
>MC: Well technically it’s a character based off you.  
>MC: The logic is that when you become famous  
>MC: Because you definitely will.  
>MC: I’ll publish it, and then recommend you for the role of the main character  
>MC: Since I know you want to be recognized because of your own hard work

>SC: C’mon Zen!  
>SC: Show us you’re worthy of MC’s book!

 

>ZEN: Wow  
>ZEN: I feel special  
>ZEN: (*^▽^*)  
>ZEN: I had no idea MC wrote books though.

>SC: Zen.

>ZEN: Yes?

>SC: Do you live under a rock!?  
>SC Go Toogle her right now!  
>SC: Type in MC and Books!

>ZEN: Okay  
>ZEN: Brb

[Zen has left the chat room]

>MC: SC!

>SC: What?  
>SC: Seven was bound to spill sooner or later.  
>SC: Plus, he really is living under a rock if he doesn’t know who you are

>MC: No  
>MC: I don’t really care about him knowing I’m famous.  
>MC: I trust Zen and everyone in the RFA

>SC: Except for V

>MC: Yeah.  
>MC: My problem is that My real name pops up on my Wikipedia page!  
>MC: !!!!!!!  
>MC: Also  
>MC: Where is Seven?

>SC: Oh  
>SC: he was overworking himself so I drugged his Ph.D. Pepper  
>SC: Don’t tell Vanderwood I did that though  
>SC: I’m too young to be skinned alive

[ZEN has entered the chat room]

>ZEN: Myung-Soon is such a cute name, though!

>MC: Nuh uh!  
>MC: That named is banned!

>SC: To be honest  
>SC: She loves her name  
>SC: The problem is that people tend to shorten it to Myu  
>SC: She hates being called Myu

>MC: I really do

>ZEN: Well I won’t call you that then.  
>ZEN: It is nice to know your real name, though.

>MC: Thanks, Lovely Zen!  
>MC: I should get going.  
>MC: Jumin will be home soon and I’d rather be out of the way

>SC: What is up with that anyways?  
>SC: You never did tell me what is up.

>ZEN: I am curious too?  
>ZEN: why is trust fund jerk so rude?

>MC: Well…  
>MC: I left the penthouse without telling him or taking bodyguards  
>MC: Then we fought  
>MC: And as SC can attest  
>MC: have a way with hurting people with words  
>MC: And I might have gone too far.

>SC: So it wasn’t Jumin’s fault then.  
>SC: Did you apologize?

>MC: I did   
>MC: Five days later  
>MC: But he just brushed me off.

>ZEN: Still, that doesn’t give him the right to ignore you like that

>MC: Meh I deserve it.  
>MC: Well cya 

[MC has left the chat room]

>SC: She really beats up about this  
>SC: MC cannot be ignored  
>SC: She needs constant attention  
>SC: If Jumin is ignoring her  
>SC: She’s gonna get depressed  
>SC: And if she’s convinced it was her fault, it’ll be worse.

>ZEN: Are you serious!?

>SC: Ya  
>SC: While MC was loved by her family  
>SC: She wasn’t very popular at school  
>SC: She wasn’t bullied or anything  
>SC: She was just ignored.  
>SC: Her friends are very important to her.

>ZEN: Excuse me  
>ZEN: I Have to go knock some sense into that jerk

[ZEN has left the chat room]

SC: Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do~

_____________

 

After Rika’s death, Zen had taken a hard time coping. He had healed over time, but the wound was still there. Then MC, no Myung-Soon had come to the chat room and everything had changed. She was so beautiful, and kind and had a complicated personality. She was a very hot and cold person. Her sarcasm and wit were a force to be reckoned with and Zen had fallen in love with all of her.

It hurt him to see her so sad and angry when Yoosung got kidnapped. She was so vulnerable like that. She was still fiercely determined to get him back, as they all were, but she was slowly becoming happy again. The Jumin had to come and ruin that. He had been heading home when he’d talked to Myung-Soon and SC. He had completely backtracked towards C&R almost immediately after.

Myung-Soon deserved to be loved, and he didn’t want to see her sad or depressed. He knew that trust fund jerked cared for her too, but by ignoring her, he was too thick headed to see how it was affecting her. He was so emotionally stunted he probably wouldn’t notice until it was too late…

He shook his head. No, Myung-Soon wasn’t Rika. She wasn’t going to kill herself like Rika, she was too strong. Yet fear clenched in his heart. They hadn’t known Rika was mentally ill. How could they know Myung-Soon wouldn’t… Zen grimaced. He wouldn’t think about that. If he lost Myung-Soon as well he didn’t know what he would do.

As he turned the corner he spotted Jumin walking towards his car.

“Oi trust fund!” he called out. Jumin turned to look at him.

“Hyun. What are you doing here?” The corporate heir inquired

“Apologize to Myung-Soon!” Jumin looked confused.

“Who is Myung-Soon?”

“MC I mean.”

“I wasn’t aware there was anything to apologize.” 

“Like hell, there isn’t! Don’t you see how she is right now? She’s depressed.” He exclaimed, raising his voice a bit. A few people turned to look at them. He would see some fumbling around for their phones.

“Why don’t we have this conversation in the car?” Jumin mumbled, noticing the attention. They both quickly went in, Jumin giving the driver instructions to move. Zen sighed before speaking to Jumin.

“I really don’t know the specifics, but Myung-Soon, that’s MC’s real name, was alone for most of her childhood. She had her family, but no friends so they are very important to her. First Yoosung disappeared and you saw how she blamed herself, and know she snapped at you and you’ve been ignoring her. She’s convinced it’s her fault. She feels as if she’s slowly losing her friends Jumin, and SC said it himself. She’s getting depressed.” 

Zen watched as a series of emotions flitted through Jumin’s face. 

“I… I didn’t know she was like that. She got so mad at me for being overbearing that I thought she’d want her personal space,” he finally said. “I’ll talk to her when I get home.” 

Zen nodded.

“Good”

_______________

 

Jumin pretty much ran all the way home as soon as he got off the car. He had a feeling he had messed up pretty badly after his conversation with Zen. MC who was always silent these days. MC who took things in the worst way. There was no way his actions wouldn’t have repercussions. He was so stupid for not seeing it before.

He walked into the Penthouse, not bothering to do anything before walking straight to MC’s room. The door was closed. He sighed and knocked. There was silence for a few minutes and Jumin was about to knock again when Mc’s tired voice rang out.

“Huh?”

“MC, may I come in?” he asked politely, waiting for her answer.

“Ya,” she said after about a few seconds. He turned the doorknob and opened her room to reveal a mess of files spread all over the floor. There were stacks or more files surrounding the mess and MC had taken to covering the white wall in post-its of varying color. The glass dry-erase board was half-erased and contained the strangest symbols he had ever seen. Perhaps after he fixed things with MC he could convince her to let the maid clean this room up, he thought as he carefully stepped over the paper littering the floor.

MC was curled up on the bed in a nest of various different blankets and pillows. Her shoulder length hair, normally neat in a messy sort of way, was frizzen and scrunched in places from sleeping on it. Her phone, a bright green MePhone clutched loosely in her hand while she stared blankly at the wall. When Jumin walked in, she sat up, pulling out her glasses from under her pillow.

“Did you need something,” she asked quietly. Jumin frowned. She really did look awful. 

“I wanted to talk to you and… to apologize for my attitude this past month.” MC’s eyes widened for a second. “You apologized to me and I still treated you indifferently. I took your anger as a request for space, but I went too far and it affected you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not really your fault. I was pretty mean too.” MC answered. Jumin shook his head.

“That really doesn’t excuse my behavior. I hope you’ll forgive me.” MC sighed and looked up at him with a smile. 

“There really isn’t anything for you to apologize for, but yes. All is forgotten and forgiven,” She told him. Then she opened her arms. “Now give me a hug!” She demanded. Jumin allowed himself a smile and hugged the petite, emotionally unstable girl. MC really was too important to them. They didn’t need to loose anymore RFA members.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week, another chapter! 
> 
> Thank you all for the support on this fic, it's amazing, you are all amazing, and I really love you all! <3
> 
> Here is [my Tumblr](http://fif-the-writer.tumblr.com/) if anybody wants to check that out! If you'd like you can follow me or just say hi! :3


	7. Awareness

Yoosung’s first meeting with their Savior went very well, in Saeran’s opinion. Obviously, the blond boy had a lot of questions, and they had been answered to the best of Rika’s abilities. In the end, he had been extremely happy to see her, and Yoosung’s happiness and excitement had put Saeran in a very good mood. He had left them together outside so they could catch up and talk. It was a very nice day and their Savior had been working very hard recently. No doubt they would spend a while outside.

Saeran walked into his office and powered up his computers. He hadn’t spared any expense to protecting Mint Eye and Saeyoung hadn’t been able to get through his defenses. At the same time, they had upped their own defenses, living together and surrounding themselves with Jumin Han’s bodyguards. He wouldn’t be able to bring them to the party anytime soon, but there were still many guests to invite so he busied himself with that.

He himself usually never interacted with the recruits, but it was his job to find them and send them the emails. Then he had to create the files and hand them over to the recruiters, the fifth tier members. They were the ones that left Mint Eye and interacted with the guests. They used the medicine and convince the guests to join them. It was a very important job and Saeran often oversaw everything to make sure nothing went wrong. They had recently suffered an incident where a family of one of their members had spotted them. Everything was resolved now and that family was happily integrated into their Paradise.

Saeran rubbed his burning eyes and frowned. It was really cold right now. He shook it off and continued typing. He had been slacking off a bit ever since Yoosung had arrived and he wanted to catch up on all his work. He worked for hours non-stop before standing up. His back ached terribly and he let out a groan as he stretched. Checking the time he walked out and locked his office before heading down to collect Yoosung’s dinner. As he walked into Yoosung’s room with the tray of food, he suddenly had a dizzy spell. He slightly stumbled as Yoosung grabbed the tray from his hands.

“Are you okay Saeran?” Yoosung asked him, setting the tray down and steadying him. Saeran nodded.

“ ‘m fine,” he said. Just as the words left his mouth, he found himself crashing down. I’m sick, he realized before everything went black. 

_______________

Yoosung picked at his ham sandwich, glad no one was here to scold him for playing with his food. It wasn’t particularly bad, but it was in no way the food he had become accustomed to eating here. It was just basic food they had taken to ordering for everyone here now that most of the kitchen 

Saeran had been the first to get sick. It hadn’t been much of a surprise to anyone after he had called for help. Saeran had always been delicate of health, Rika had explained to him. They would put him in the infirmary until he was better. Then everyone started getting sick. It was a sort of flu that had reached them. Yoosung had yet to get sick, but from what he had heard of, the majority of the building had succumbed to the illness. Everyone was quarantined and Yoosung hadn’t seen Saeran in days. 

Of course, this was just one of many problems he had right now. 

For whatever reason, they had stopped giving him the medicine. He knew it wasn't planned because everyone here including Saeran was very strict on the medicine. Still, no one brought it to him and the fuzziness once in his head had begun to fade. In other words, he could think clearly now. It had been a gradual process as the medicine cleared his system, and something told Yoosung that if he had been on it for any longer he might not have recovered his wits as easily. 

It sickened him how easily he had fallen under Mint Eye’s influence while on the medicine. How could anyone ever be happy in a place that forced their followers to think the same way they did. And Rika… Though Yoosung wasn't happy about it, he now knew why V had hidden this from everyone. He wasn't sure how he'd have reacted being told that Rika was a mentally unstable schizophrenic who ha run off to run a cult.

Then there was Saeran. Saeran who despite what he had done at the beginning was so nice to him now. Yoosung couldn't tell, was it a lie or was he being genuine? He couldn't tell and that was what ate him up inside. Whether he was under the medicine’s influence or not, there was no way he could escape. That much was sure. But perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if he at least had a friend here. Could he call Saeran a friend?

Yoosung was half tempted to mention to someone that they weren't giving him the medicine but he really didn't want it messing with his head again. He wondered how he could keep up the illusion that he was still under its influence. For one, it always had him happy and cheery. He found it might be difficult to act like that given the circumstances. Not to mention Saeran was with him most of the time when he wasn't working. He sighed and rolled over, staring at the ceiling. 

There was also the issue with Saeran always being on top of his schedule. As soon and he was better, no doubt he'd come back as his minder and the medicine would with him. Yoosung knew that once the members were completely “loyal” or in other words brainwashed, they stopped receiving the medicine. Yoosung didn't know how long that would take, though. It could be months. He doubted he could fake taking his medicine for that long. He had to at least try, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back again! So a pre-Christmas update! Yay! I hope all you lovelies have a happy holiday and enjoy your Christmas if you happen to celebrate it. This is short chapter focusing on Yoosung and Saeran because I haven't focused on them in a while, enjoy!
> 
> Here is [my Tumblr](http://fif-the-writer.tumblr.com/) if you guys want to go check it out and maybe follow me. Don't hesitate to send me a message and talk to me if you want! :3
> 
> Ilysm everyone <3
> 
> Edit: I was made aware that there was an error when I published this chapter, that at the beginning some of the text was cut off. It's only like half a sentence, but regardless I have fixed it.


	8. Injury

MC had been half-asleep when she got the phone call from Zen. The phone rang, startling her and making her sit straight up. The piece of paper she had been sleeping on stuck to her cheek, fluttering down only when she shook her head. She quickly scrambled for her phone, grinning triumphantly when she managed to find it.

“Yalo?” She said, stifling a yawn.

“Hello, princess~”

“Zen! What's up?” She answered, suddenly more aware. She heard him sigh dramatically.

“You know that role I was offered?” He said. If MC had studied psychology, she might not have noticed the underlying disappointment in his voice.

“Ya, the one with Echo girl?” 

“I’m going to have to turn it down!”

“What why?” she asked him.

“I had an accident while practicing,” he said. She quickly shot up, knocking down a pile of paper that had been lying on her lap. 

“Oh god! Are you okay!” She asked quickly. 

“Yeah I’m fine, I just broke my ankle.” He said. 

“You say it so casually,” MC deadpanned. “How serious is it though?” she asked him.

“I don’t know. I haven’t gone to the hospital yet. It doesn’t look good, though.” he informed her. MC frowned.

“Hyun Ryu you go to the hospital right this second before you hurt yourself even more!” she said. “I’ll drag you there if I have too!” 

“Haha, it's kinda funny to see you all worried. Don’t worry. I was planning on going there already, Just thought I’d call you first.” He said. MC smiled.

“Well, I’m glad my concern is amusing. Do you want me to go with you?” She asked. 

“No, it’s fine. A pretty lady like you shouldn’t be out so late anyways.” 

“...If you’re sure.”

“Completely! I have to go now. Sleep well my princess!”

“Be safe Lovely Zen!”

“Ha, you’re too cute! Muah!” he said before hanging up. MC sighed. The RFA members were all going to kill her with worry.

She stood up and stretched, looking around her room. Jumin was right. Her room was a complete mess. She’d have to clean up soon before she started avoiding the room completely. It was a habit of hers, to take residence in a different room when her's got too messy. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do that now because she had all of Rika’s files to go through. She still didn’t want to let Jumin and any other others with the exception of Seven and SC, know what she was working with. Not until she had definitive answers. 

Picking up her phone, she checked the time to see it was actually pretty late. Jumin should probably be home soon. MC tied her hair up and shuffled to the kitchen. She was absolutely starving. After rifling through the fridge, she pulled out a big piece of cheesecake. Knowing her sweet tooth, Jumin always makes sure there was some type of cake in the fridge for her. She found it really sweet on his part. 

Picking up her prize, she walked over to the breakfast bar and sat down to eat. When she was halfway through the door opened revealing Jumin and a very tired Jaehee. 

“Heya,” She greeted. 

“MC,” Jaehee said, “How are you?” 

“MC should you really be eating cake instead of dinner?” Jumin asked. MC shrugged.

“I just woke up and got hungry. This is the first thing I found,” she started, eating another forkful of cheesecake. Jumin sighed, but a fond smile played at his lips. 

“I’ll call up the chef to make you something,” He informed her, not waiting for an answer. Not that MC could complain. A simple slice of cheesecakes wasn’t going to be enough.

“Aren’t you usually asleep at this hour?” Jaehee asked as she began to take out some files. 

“I was. I kinda fell asleep on my desk though and then my phone woke me up. Did you know Zen got injured?” She asked, putting her fork over her now empty plate. Jaehee looked up startled, dropping the papers in her hands.

“What! What happened, is he okay?” She asked. 

“Oh, don’t worry it’s not serious. He just broke his ankle. He won't be able to take that new part, though.” MC explained. Jaehee picked up the scattered papers and set them on the table.

“That’s really a shame,” she said sounding disappointed. “This role would have been good for his career. Regardless, Zen’s health is much more important!”

MC nodded in agreement. Still, she had a strange sinking feeling.

________________________

Zen sighed as he hobbled out of the taxi on crutches. This was going to be his life until his ankle healed, and he couldn’t say he was looking forward to it. He sighed as he went over to fish bread vendor.

“Woah, what happened to you?” he asked.

“Accident at work” Zen answered with a sigh. It still depressed him to think about it.

“Tough luck. How much do you want?” he asked him. Zen thought about it for a few seconds before ordering, then leaned against the truck while he waited. He logged into the RFA chat room and started assuring Jaehee that he was indeed okay. 

“My Zen lives here! Why would he live in such a dump?” 

“Huh?” he said looking up. It felt as if he had just heard his name.

“Zen!” A girl cried out happily running over to him. She had brown wavy hair cascading down her back and impossibly blue eyes. The dress she was wearing made her look like a very young girl.

“Oh hello?” he asked, slightly confused. Was she a fan perhaps? 

“Oh I didn’t introduce myself, silly me,” she said giggling.

“I’m Echo Girl, it’s nice to meet you,” she told him with a smile. Echo Girl? As in his co-star, before he had been injured? 

“Oh um hi! It’s nice to meet you he said.” Echo Girl took the bag of fish bread.

“I’ll help you,” She announced.

“You really don’t have to,” Zen said. Echo Girl shook her head.

“I’ll do it! It’s so great to finally meet you! When my assistant told me you were injured and wouldn’t be able to take the part, I was so disappointed! I had been looking forward to acting with you!” She announced. Zen was surprised. Echo Girl wanted to act with him?

“...I mean after all I did to get you the lead role so we could act together, maybe I can ask them to put off the production until you get better!”

“What! No!” He said registering what she said. “I mean It would be better if someone else took the role. I don’t want to put off the production,” he explained. She sighed dramatically.

“But I really wanted to act with Zen!” she exclaimed, pouting.

“Don’t worry,” he told her, “I’m sure there will be many more opportunities in the future,” He said with a smile. He was so glad of his ability to act because the last thing he wanted to do was smile. After what seemed an eternity he finally made it to his apartment, where he took the fish bread and very kindly kicked her out, under the pretense that he needed rest. He sighed as he shut the door and pulled out his phone.

[Zen has entered the Chat room]

>Zen: You guys won’t believe what just happened!

 

______________

Yoosung stared blankly at the tray of food that had been left earlier. As the effects of the drug had worn off, the gravity of the situation finally hit him. Rika. The woman he had cared for so much, his idol, his hero. She… how could she be doing this to so many people? He couldn’t find any way to understand it. It just didn’t make any sense. The Rika he knew was kind. She would never hurt people like this, take away their free will. Yet this was certainly Rika. It made him wonder, was she always like this? Was this what V was hiding? The door opened behind him, making him jump. He forced himself to calm down, as he stared at the intruder.

“Yoosung?” It was Saeran. He looked very pale, and he was definitely thinner. He also had dark circles under his eyes.

“Saeran!” He said, quickly getting up. Despite everything, he had decided to trust Saeran’s friendship, unless proven that he couldn’t. He knew it was stupid and that he was naive enough that this could backfire, but Saeran seemed genuine. He was the only source of contact Yoosung had and he didn’t want to give it up.

“Are you okay?” Saeran asked him. His eyes fell upon his tray. “You haven’t eaten. That’s not good. You know you can’t take your medicine without eating,” He gently chastised. There was no malice or demand behind his voice, just worry. 

“I just haven’t been very hungry,” he said with shrug. Saeran looked at him, worried.

“Are you okay? You seem a bit down,” he commented. Yoosung forced a smile.

“I’m fine, my sleep has just been a bit off these past few days. I’m a bit tired,” he said. Saeran thought about this for a few seconds. 

“It’s probably the change of schedule. You were so accustomed to the normal schedules that with the epidemic, your sleep was totally thrown off,” he explained. Yoosung nodded. 

“But how are you feeling Saeran?” he asked, half curious, and half wanting to change the conversation topic. “You really scared me the other day when you passed out.”

“Sorry. I’m much better. Brother Il-Sung said I just need a few more days of rest and I can go back to working normally. I decided to come visit you to see how you were doing,” he said. Yoosung couldn’t help but smile when he said that. He hugged Saeran.

“Thanks! I really missed you.” 

He didn’t know how things would turn out, but he had Saeran for now at least, and maybe that was all he needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you had a wonderful holidays. I'm back with a brand new chapter! I hope you liked it, and as always thanks for all the feedback on this fic!
> 
> Here is[my Tumblr](http://fif-the-writer.tumblr.com/) if you guys want to go check it out and maybe follow me. 
> 
> <3


	9. Relax

Saeran watched as Yoosung slept, waiting a few minutes before waking him. He had been acting strangely these last few days. Though he couldn’t pinpoint why. He had come to wake him earlier and had seen him in the middle of a nightmare. Though at loss as to what to do, he managed to comfort him without waking him and had let him rest some more. Classes hadn’t started up yet, but he figured it wouldn’t do any harm.

“Yoosung, he gently whispered as he tried to shake the boy awake. He let out a quiet groan and turned over, before opening his eyes. Then he suddenly jumped back, clearly startled. More strange behavior.

“Are you okay? He asked, concerned.” Yoosung nodded.

“Oh… sorry, you just startled me.” He explained. Saeran nodded.

“Here’s your breakfast. I brought you something light since your appetite has been down recently.” Yoosung gave him an appreciative smile.

“Thank you Saeran,” he said softly. It worried him. It wasn’t the usual cheerful reaction. As a matter of fact, these past few days, Yoosung had been all but cheerful. Had something happened? Maybe it was the medicine. It was known to cause bouts of depression sometimes, though he found it weird, as Yoosung hadn’t shown those side effects before. As it were, Yoosung was due to be taken off the medicine in about three weeks, so if that was the problem, it would be resolved. If it wasn’t he’d have to find another solution.

He sat on the chair by Yoosung while he ate. Yoosung still didn’t seem to have much of an appetite. He would ask Sister Mi to make him something that would hopefully make him eat more. The blonde was looking a bit thinner. He had already gained all the lost weight from his food strike when he had arrived, Saeran didn’t want to see him lose it again. He definitely didn’t want him to fall sick because of it. He glanced out the window and sighed. It was nice out, and there were a few children running around and playing with their minders. There were some couples taking a stroll. Everyone was enjoying a day out after being cooped up for so long after the epidemic. That’s when it hit Saeran.

Yoosung had been stuck inside this room for about two weeks during the epidemic and another week while they had been recovering from everything. He hadn’t been able to leave, and no doubt that would strain his mental psyche. He had been used to leaving. Being stuck inside a room probably reminded him of the cell. Saeran knew that the cell had always unsettled Yoosung. This could very well be the problem and the source of his apparent depression.

“Yoosung,” he said calling attention to the blonde. 

“Huh?” he asked, looking up from the cracker he had been observing as if he wasn’t quite sure whether he wanted to eat it or not. 

“Finish up eating, and I’ll take you to freshen up. Then we can go outside for a while. I know you’ve been stuck here a while.” Yoosung’s face lit up. 

“Okay,” he said, and started eating, this time with a bit more gusto.

______________

MC looked in satisfaction as her room was perfectly organized. It had taken several days, and she had lost research time, but she knew it was okay. She had needed to clear her mind for a bit, and perhaps take some time so she could go back and look at things with a new angle. She had been getting nowhere anyways and the mess had been bothering her. She felt refreshed and ready now. And also slightly disturbed as she glanced the pile of papers she had found. They were semi-translated and she didn’t remember reading them. She had found some very disturbing stuff there.

It was no news to her that Rika had a serious god complex, apart from her very obvious paranoia and OCD. What she hadn’t known was how far it went. Seven had long since cracked the code for her, so she could probably work on this later and be done soon. He had sent her a program that would automatically translate everything to normal English or Korean if she wanted. She did feel more comfortable with English, and it was easier to translate by hand to English so the Korean feature wasn’t much use to her. Especially since she was a bit paranoid herself and refused to use the program. She had not forgotten how Seven’s brother had hacked them multiple times. It was better to be safe than sorry.

She took a swig of water and decided to go to the supermarket located within the building to stock up on some snacks. From what had already been translated, she could tell some pretty deep and disturbing stuff was coming up. For one, Rika wanted to start her own Reckoning once she had enough followers. She literally wanted to kill everyone who wasn’t in her chosen to start life anew and finally create her eternal party. Logically, MC knew that’d be impossible, but with someone so mentally unstable, she was worried for Yoosung and Mi. She was hardly a religious person, but she prayed every day for their safe return.

She sighed as the elevator opened and walked out. The security at the entrance of the supermarket, greeted her, recognizing her, just like pretty much everyone else in the building. Jumin made sure she was treated with respect everywhere, much to her embarrassment. She wasn’t used to so much attention. 

MC walked back into the penthouse and made her way back to her room. She set her bag down and cracked her knuckles. It was time to get working.

___________________

>ZEN: Yeah so that’s what happened.

>SC: So basically Echo girl is some creepy stalker.  
>SC: And she carried your fish bread up for you.

>Jaehee: It is unsettling.  
>Jaehee: And she said she had gotten you the role?

>ZEN: Yeah. It was disappointing.  
>ZEN: I thought I had gotten the role through all my hard work.

>SC: Well technically you did.  
>SC: You are so good  
>SC: That someone as rich and famous as Echo girl got you that role.

>Jaehee: SC has a point.  
>Jaehee: You are a great actor Zen  
>Jaehee: That being said, perhaps it was not meant to be.  
>Jaehee: It could cause a scandal if anybody found out Echo Girl gave you the role  
>Jaehee: You could get a lot of bad attention.

>SC: Baehee is right.   
>SC: Echo girl is dangerous.   
>SC: (and ridiculously tacky)  
>SC: You shouldn’t get mixed up with her.

>ZEN: Thanks, guys.  
>ZEN: Though Echo Girl didn’t seem that mean or anything.  
>ZEN: A little clingy and childish.

>SC: Zen  
>SC: You have a problem  
>SC: And that is doubting people  
>SC: Just ask MC how much of a bother echo girl could be  
>SC: She’s really demanding and stubborn  
>SC: She has daddy pay for anything

>Jaehee: That last comment could be taken the wrong way SC

>SC: Yeah  
>SC: I just saw.  
>SC: Seven really should add that “delete message” option.  
>SC: Just saying.  
>SC: Beware of echo bitch

[SC has left the chatroom]

>Jaehee: SC does have a point.  
>Jaehee: Be careful

>ZEN: Will do

__________________

Saeran smiled when he saw Yoosung sitting by the tree. He had taken the blonde out as promised, though he did have to leave to get some work done. It had taken a bit longer than expected, but now that he was back, it made him happy to see that Yoosung was definitely in a better mood.

“Saeran,” He greeted much more cheerfully than he had in the morning. “Time to go?”

“Yes. It’s almost dinner time. I’ll see if I can bring you out again tomorrow.”

“I’d like that,” Yoosung said with a smile. Saeran smiled back at him. He’d do anything if just to keep him smiling. He didn’t know how but Yoosung had become something important to him. He didn’t know what he’d do if he stopped smiling one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Sorry for the shortish chapter today, I promise a longer one next week!
> 
> Well with that being said, here's [My Tumblr](http://fif-the-writer.tumblr.com/) go follow me if you'd like.


	10. Patience

Saeran looked down in shame as his Savior chastised him. 

“Saeran, I understand that you have been ill lately and that you have been taking care of Yoosung. That does not excuse the fact, though, that you’ve given me absolutely no information in the past few months. This is a big setback for Mint Eye,” she told him, not looking at all too pleased.

“I apologize my savior. Things have been a bit complicated. My brother,” he spat out like the word was made of venom, “Has upped the security. Not to mention he shut down the system at your apartment. Only the bomb is still up. I have reasons to believe the apartment is empty of all physical files as well,” he informed her. Rika frowned.

“What! But why?” She asked. Saeran clenched his fists, knowing that tone of voice. She was slightly hysterical. 

“The girl and the boy were moved out,” he explained. He didn’t tell her when as surely she would become angry for not telling her earlier. “I am working on a solution, though. The system was turned off but I can still hack into it and force it to turn on using the bomb as a pathway.”

Rika nodded.

“See to it that you do. You are dismissed,” she told him. She was clearly not in a good mood.   
“Oh and Saeran?”

“Yes, my Savior?” 

“You can take today off to see that Yoosung acclimates to his new job,” she said. Saeran bowed his head and walked out.

He breathed a bit easier as soon as he was out. He adjusted his jacket and walked over to Yoosung’s room, on the final floor. He had been moved here a few days ago. Yoosung had finally finished his classes and was an integrated member of Mint Eye. His doses of the medicine were much smaller now, and soon it wouldn’t be necessary.

He stopped in front of Yoosung’s door and hesitated. He wasn’t his minder anymore. Yoosung didn’t need one. He could go around Mint Eye as he pleased. He could tell the blonde was enjoying this small freedom as well. It had been two weeks since it had stopped being necessary for Saeran to bring him his meals. He sighed. He felt as if Yoosung wouldn’t need him anymore. It was stupid, and completely his fault. He let himself get too attached. He knew it would break him- them both if he tried to undo this tentative friendship that had already been formed.

Yoosung especially had been very fragile these past weeks. They had perhaps become a bit too dependent on each other. He sighed and knocked on the door. A few seconds footsteps could be heard on the floor and the door opened. He stared.

“You cut your hair?” was the first thing that came out. Sure enough, his hair was way much shorter, and instead of dying it blonde… he had decided to let his natural hair color grow out it seemed. Yoosung looked down shyly, fingering the tips of his freshly cut hair.

“Oh um yeah. I guess I just missed how it looked before.” He answered. Saeran couldn’t help but notice that there was much more to it but didn’t bother mentioning anything. It wasn’t as if the simple hair style choice could harbor any dangerous secrets. Perhaps it reminded him of when V lied to him and he wasn’t with Rika. Even in Mint Eye past memories could sometimes put a damper on people's mood.

“Well it looks nice,” he said. Yoosung smiled.

“Thanks!” He said cheerfully. Saeran smiled. It was amazing how Yoosung’s cheerful disposition could have such an effect on his mood.

“Hey now that I think about it, what’s your natural hair color?” Yoosung asked. Saeran faltered for a second.

“Oh… It’s red…” he said quietly after a minute. Yoosung seemed to understand that he didn’t want to talk about the topic and didn’t say anything more about it.

“So are you ready to go?” He asked, and Yoosung nodded.

“Yeah!”

Yoosung finally graduating was given a job as a minder for some of the younger, already acclimated children. The Savior had decided this was the best job, and Saeran had a feeling Yoosung would be good at it.

“Nervous?” He asked the now brunette. Yoosung smiled anxiously. 

“Kinda” 

“Don’t worry,” Saeran comforted. “You’ll be okay.” He said and gripped his hand. Yoosung nodded then put on the determined face Saeran had come used to.

___________________

 

“So tell me. How long has this crush on Zen been going on?” MC asked and she pushed around a piece of corn on her plate. She and Jumin were having dinner together and had finally brought up a topic she had been very curious about. Jumin looked startled for a second before regaining his composure.

“What makes you think I have a crush on Zen?” He asked her taking a sip of his wine, not denying the accusation. MC raised a brow. 

“Uh, maybe the fact that you two are always flirting?” She suggested. Jumin maintained a passive expression.

“We are hardly flirting,” he said so seriously, making her wondering whether he was actually that oblivious or whether he just had a very good poker face.

“Sure and I'm Marie Antoinette,” she mumbled under her breath. 

“Jumin. You flirt with Zen more than he flirts with me!” She exclaimed. Jumin looked away.

“I don't.” 

“Oh, are you jealous?” She asked, noticing the expression on his face. Jumin didn't answer.

“Of who? Me or Zen?” She asked. The indecisive look on his face told her everything thing she needed to know.

“So I like Zen, and You like Zen. I like you and you like me. I'm pretty sure Zen likes us both,” she said. It was probably a ridiculous idea. If all failed she could blame SC. It was his ridiculous idea in the first place. 

“Hyun does not like me,” Jumin said sharply. MC frowned, and Jumin quickly apologized for his tone of voice.

“Zen definitely likes you Jumin,” MC assured him. Jumin continued to look unconvinced.

“All He ever preaches about is how beautiful he is and how he can't stand me, I can assure you he does not like me,” Jumin said. The expression on his face when he said this was pained.

“First of all,” MC said, “Zen always describes himself as ‘Handsome’ so the beautiful thing is your own personal opinion. Secondly, I am a hundred percent sure when I say he likes you. I'll even prove it!”

“How?” Jumin asked. MC smiled.

“You’ll see!” She said!

“I guess I will,” he answered, not willing to keep up the argument. Then he changed the subject.

“How are SC and Luciel doing?” He asked. “I've heard that they haven't gotten along lately.”

MC sighed. 

“That's an understatement. From what I've heard Seven is having a hard time doing some work for the agency and Mary Vanderwood who's actually from said agency is giving them both a hard time. Perhaps sending SC to Seven wasn't such a good idea.” she told him. 

“Perhaps, but there isn’t much that can be done now. It’s much safer for both of you to be safe.”

“Yeah I get it,” she mumbled. She sighed. This was always getting more and more complicated. She probably should have listened to herself that day and dragged SC home instead of going on that wild goose chase to return the phone. It would be fun, he said. MC smiled. Not that she regretted it. She had met the most amazing people here and she wouldn’t change it for the world.

____________________

SC stared at the back of Vanderwood’s head. If he or she or whatever they were yelled at him one more time he was going to commit murder. He sighed and poked holes into the piece of cardboard he had taken up to entertain himself. He had cut it, poked holes, and strung yarn through it. It looked like the horrible pieces of “art” he occasionally made when he had nothing to do. He’d probably gift it to MC later who would roll her eyes and hang it on her wall with all the other awful pieces of work he’d ever made. It was an inside joke between them.

He sighed. Seven had asked him to not use his phone or computer when Vanderwood was around. Apparently, they were very paranoid. Unfortunately, this left him very bored. Not to mention Seven was practically pretending he didn’t exist. He frowned and stared at the robotic cat next to him. Vanderwood sent him a suspicious glance before going back to picking up chip bags. 

Something was wrong with Seven and he had to find out what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sooooo sorry I wasn't able to update these past two Fridays. I ended up getting really sick and I haven't been well enough to update until now >_< Regardless I'm okay now so an update for you
> 
> Here is [my Tumblr](http://fif-the-writer.tumblr.com/) if you guys want to go follow me or check it out :3
> 
> I <3 you all


	11. Mysteries

MC roughly cleaned her glasses accepting the blurry image before her now that she no longer had them out. Besides her, Jumin was tensely drinking his coffee.

“How fortunate for you to be able to blur them out at will,” he said. Besides them, both Jaehee was clearly ignoring the scene unfolding before them by burying herself with Jumin’s schedule. The sight of Echo Girl flirting with Zen and Zen going along with it, albeit reluctantly, was sickening to all three of them. She briefly wondered if Jumin had enough power to have her shipped off to Siberia. 

Jumin had been a bit more accepting of his crush on Zen these past few days. Therefore he was a bit more open about his jealousy to MC. He wasn’t vocal about it, that simply wasn’t his style. He simply guarded his expressions and emotions less around her. It was something she appreciated. Ever since the incident when she had first moved in, their relationship had been a bit shaky. It was difficult with both of their reserved natures but slowly they were building trust. 

“Hello, aren’t you all a lovely picture of envy?” SC asked patronizingly as he went to sit down on one of the chairs beside Jaehee.

“I haven’t the slightest Idea of what you are talking about,” Jumin answered. MC turned and gave him a withering glare.

“You’re imagining things. I simply do not trust that brat!” She said poking her cookie with enough force to crack it. SC simply stole a piece and popped it into his mouth.

“You’re agitated. You called her a brat. You are pouting,” SC pointed out. MC frowned. Her constant psychological influences had taught him something it seemed. “Also I should point out that you generally don’t trust most people. It’s a miracle you blindly trusted in the RFA.”

“Yes very nice,” She mumbled. “It wouldn’t be appropriate to say I trust the whole RFA. Seven has a lot of redeeming to do and V is the most untrustworthy and unstable individual I’ve met in my life,” she told him. “No offense Jumin.” He simply nodded. Her distrust of V was something they both ignored mutually.

“Ya, whatever. You’re trying to distract me from the point at hand. You’re all jealous. Even Baehee.” He cheerfully said. Jaehee Sat up straighter and frowned.

“I am merely concerned. That girl screams nothing but trouble. I don’t like Zen spending so much time with her.”

“I agree with Assistant Kang,” Jumin said curtly. MC nodded in agreement. Then she stole a glance at Zen who had already left Echo Girl and was hobbling over to them.

“Zen’s coming,” She announced. Jaehee was immediately up and helping him sit down. 

“How nice of you to finally Join us,” Jumin said. MC noted a slight bitterness to his tone. “We have serious things to discuss, we have no time to waste.”

“I wasn’t wasting time!” Zen said defensively. “I can’t be rude to a lady,” He justified. MC was a writer and often wrote about crimes. No one would be the wiser if she wrote in a nameless character that just happened to have Echo Girl’s traits and to have her die a gruesome death. Jumin wasn’t much for fiction but she was sure he would enjoy that. Or perhaps that was her angry, annoyed, morbid imagination speaking. Who knew.

“Please don’t argue right now,” MC begged beginning to feel a headache.

“SC, is Luciel not coming?” Jaehee asked, quickly changing the topic. SC let out an exaggerated sigh.

“Nope,” he said, popping the P. “Vanderwood’s got him on a tight leash. I had to sneak out without him realizing it. I really don’t want to get tasered.”

“That seems like going a bit too far don’t you think?” MC asked. 

“Welp whatever Seven is in, he’s gone in too deep. I think I’ve caused problems being there. I mean, I’m pretty much a prisoner now. Yoosung… he might not be the only one we need to help.” SC was worried.

“As long as he isn’t in any immediate danger, we should focus on Yoosung but we should definitely keep it in mind,” Jumin answered. Everyone nodded seriously. MC was beginning to think that the RFA had some sort of curse.

“I’ll do some digging see if I can’t find anything about Seven’s Agency.” She assured him. SC nodded.

“Thanks. Let’s get this meeting off the road now,” He said, a bit more carefree now.

“Yeah, Myung-Soon said she had some important information,” Zen said. MC smiled happily at the use of her name in a not teasing way.

“Yes, I did! Very important information actually,” She told them.

“What is it?” Jaehee asked.

“Well, I should start out by saying, this is very, very big.”

“How big exactly?” Jumin questioned.

“It’s a whole organization. They have different sort of levels in this cult thing they have, and they are constantly kidnapping people. I’ve managed to access with Seven’s help, the previous guest lists. More than half of the guests from the first party have gone missing, their bank accounts disappeared mysteriously with them,” she informed them.

“Wait but what are they trying to do?” Zen asked. MC though for a second. She had agreed that until she had all the information ready, she wouldn’t tell them about Rika. She needed enough information so that they’d believe her.

“It’s not clear yet, but from what I’ve been able to discover, an eternal party of sorts.”

________________

“Careful Mina!” Yoosung called after the eight-year-old child as she chased after a butterfly. The girl waved as an acknowledgment to having heard him and then continued to frolic around in the grass. Besides him several children were sitting making daisy chains for each other and bit farther away there were four of his kids playing ball.

He was in total, in charge of a group of twelve children, something that made him nervous most of the time. He had never been one for taking care of little children before, and the first few days, he had been at loss. He had managed to charm the little ones, though, and they were now mostly well behaved with him. He figured it had something to do with the fact that he was definitely more lax with the rules than the other childminders. While he certainly made sure none of the rules were broken, he appealed to the children by being nicer and letting them go a little bit. 

Yoosung stood up and walked over to Mina who had lost the butterfly but was now looking to wander off.

“Mina!” He called to her and grabbed her small hand.

“Oh! Brother Yoosung!” She giggled happily. 

“Let’s go back to the others, okay Mina? You can pick flowers with Tae if you’d like.” Faced with the prospect of picking pretty flowers, Mina nodded furiously and pretty much dragged him back. He smiled at her childlike innocence and then frowned. Would they ever get out of here? Would these children ever go back to their normal lives?”

“Brother Yoosung. You seem a bit down. Is everything okay?” Yoosung gave a little jump, startled.

“Oh Brother Ki-Tae. I didn’t see you,” He explained. He hadn’t had much contact with Ki-Tae. All he knew was that he was one of the highest ranking members in Mint Eye and that Saeran didn’t like him very much.

“I’m fine. I’ve just been having a bit of a headache,” He told him. He looked down at his watch. Five minutes until dinner. 

“That isn’t good. You should go to the infirmary if you aren’t feeling well. It’s better to deal with sickness as soon as possible. We don’t want a repeat of a few weeks ago. Yoosung nodded and smiled. He was getting better at making them look genuine.

“Yes thank you. If I feel anymore ill I will definitely go.” He informed him. Ki-Tae nodded and then Yoosung excused himself to go call out the children. He always liked to call them in early to avoid the cafeteria rush and this time he was in an extra hurry to escape for Ki-Tae. Higher ups like him made him nervous. He had officially been taken off the medicine but he was always scared that they would find out he had long since been under its influence. He didn’t want to get locked up again. 

Just as he herded the children in, he saw Saeran angrily walking outside, in Ki-Tae’s direction. He frowned. What was going on? Why was Saeran so angry?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thanks as usual for reading this story! I love you all!
> 
> Here is[My Tumblr](http://fif-the-writer.tumblr.com/) if you guys want to check that out. 
> 
> Also, very important, I'm organizing a project called Art-Swap where the participants submit their lineart and then randomly receive someone else's line art to color. It's a project so that artists can meet other artists and I really want it to be successful. If you guys are interested or know anyone who is, or if you can simply help by signal boosting, I would really appreciate it! you can find the post [Here](https://art-swap-official.tumblr.com/post/156463250479/sign-up-for-art-swap)
> 
> Love Fif <3


	12. Secrets

Yoosung sighed as he leaned against the tree top and stared out into Magenta's fields. Though he wasn't sure what day it was, it was his day off which meant he could relax. Looking after the children was a taxing job, and he was relieved to have a break. It had become much easier than when he had first started. He still could help but feel sad for the children trapped here against their will, being manipulated by that medicine. Where he had once loved and even worshiped Rika, now he could only find disappointment and hate. 

"Yoosung," Saeran said as a greeting and Yoosung smiled brightly, partly because he was glad to see his only friend and partly because he still had to keep the appearance of being happy here. 

"Hi, Saeran!" Saeran gave him a small but genuine smile and sat down beside him. He looked tired, Yoosung noted. The prominent dark circles under his eyes seemed even darker than normal and his movements were sluggish. Hopefully, he wasn't getting sick again.

"You look tired," he commented to Saeran. The other shrugged.

"I was doing something for our savior. Haven't gotten much sleep recently." He commented stifling a yawn. Yoosung nodded. How he wished Rika was still that same. That she wouldn't do this to Saeran who was already delicate of health. He wished that Saeran could be happy, not this twisted illusion of paradise. He sighed as another thought came to mind. Had the Rika he knew ever been real? Had it just been an act? In the end, had V ever lied? How had he dealt with it, Yoosung wondered. How could he have continued loving her like this?

"Is something the matter?" Saeran asked him. Yoosung smiled and shook his head. 

"Just thinking," he said. Saeran frowned and looked up ahead. 

"Hey, Yoosung," Saeran asked him. 

"Hmm?" 

"When did you stop taking your medicine?" He asked. Yoosung felt his heart stop. Saeran was irrevocably loyal to Rika. He clenched his fists for a second before forcing himself to calm down.

"When I stopped receiving it a while ago, you remember right Saeran?" He answered doing his best to keep his face straight. Saeran sighed.

"I'm not going to tell anyone," he said flatly. He looked at Yoosung with an almost sad expression. Yoosung frowned and pulled his knees up to his chest.

"I... They made a mistake during the epidemic. They stopped sending me the medicine and by the time they started giving it to me I was already lucid again." He admitted. He let out a nervous laugh. 

"How could you tell?" He asked Saeran. 

"I've noticed for a while now," he answered. "At first I didn't realize it. I though you was sick then I noticed how you'd stare at the outside. You know we can't ever leave here, right? She won't let us."

"I know. I just don't want to be controlled. I'm here and I have to pretend I'm happy and even though I'll never leave I'd like to have a bit of freedom at least," he said sadly. Saeran stared straight at him.

"Just be careful Yoosung. Don't disobey. Don't let them know. Those who don't listen get pumped full of that stuff. She doesn't bother with pills then. I don't want to see you like that... Like me." Saeran said slouching down. Yoosung's eyes widened for a second. Then slowly as if he were approaching a wild animal, he placed his hand on his shoulder.

"How long have you been here?" He asked.

"Since I was fourteen," Saeran said after a second. Yoosung let his hand fall next to Saeran's and tentatively reached out. Saeran hesitated before clutching his hand.

"I might never be able to leave, but I'm glad that at least you're here," he said, smiling genuinely at him.

"I'm glad," Saeran said. "I'm not alone anymore.

________

SC used the hammer to flatten the can of Ph.D. Pepper before sending it towards the wall like a mini frisbee. When Vanderwood came back, they were going to be pretty mad, but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

"Seven," he said as he threw the last of the cans. The reply was an uninterested hum that made him want to throw the hammer next.

"You've been ignoring me," he pointed out to which the redhead shrugged.

"I've been busy," he answered. SC frowned. 

"All you've been doing is slacking off," He complained, flipping the hammer into the air and catching it by the handle. MC would be freaking if she saw he was doing that. Once when they were younger, he did that and the hammer had slipped from his grasp. The back end had sliced her foot up. She still had the scar to prove it.

"Whatever," Seven mumbled and looked back at his computer. SC sighed and put down the hammer.

"Seriously? That's all you have to say?" He asked exasperatedly. Seven continued to ignore him and in frustration, he punched the cheap corner table next to the couch. It broke and he went crashing down with it, not expecting the impact to actually damage anything.

"Agh!" He cried out as he landed all over splintered wood. He let out a very colorful collection of words in response.

"SC!" Seven said, clearly startled. 

"I'm fine," he said as he stood up from the debris. "I don't think your table can say the same, though," he said flatly as he stared at the mess. Seven might not care but OCD Vanderwood was going to be pretty pissed off.

"You're bleeding," Seven pointed out, before rushing off. SC looked down to realize he was indeed bleeding, a relatively small gash having found itself on his arm. He was also covered in splinters here and there. So maybe punching the side table hadn't been the best of ideas. 

Seven came back with a first aid kit and almost immediately set to work. They were mostly silent, save for the occasional hiss at the sting of the splinters being pulled out of his skin. Now that Seven was actually paying attention to him, he wanted to say something but he couldn't think of anything. In the end, it was the red-headed hacker that spoke the first word.

"It's for the best." It was spoken so softly SC almost missed it.

"What? You pretending I don't exist?" He asked bitterly. Seven had a pained expression on his face.

"What's up with you. You've been like this ever since Yoosung went missing," SC told him. Seven sighed. 

"It's... I saw someone I knew in my past. Someone who was supposed to be safe, not in a place like that. V promised me... it doesn't matter anymore. Clearly, V could never have been trusted. The point is that I have to keep you safe. From Mint Eye, from Rika, from Saeran and from the Agency and Vanderwood as well. I've pushed a lot of limits by having you stay here. I don't want you in danger." Seven breathed out and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm sorry it has to be like this. In the end, I'm not worth it, so don't fight it." SC wanted to punch Seven this time but refrained. Instead, he reached out and embraced Seven as well. 

"I'm sorry, but you are worth it Seven. I'll fight until I'm dead."

"But-"

"Nope. I'm not giving up. I don't know if you've heard but I'm a ridiculously stubborn person. I won't give you any trouble while Vanderwood is here, but I'm not letting you have a pity party." He announced. Seven was surprised. Then the security gate sounded. SC pulled Seven up.

"C'mon back to work you slacker. Vanderwood has a taser and they're not afraid to use it," he told him pushing him towards the computer. Seven looked like he was going to say something but at that moment the door opened and Vanderwood strolled in, glaring at SC and the mess.

"What happened?" He asked. 

"I punched the table," he said truthfully. He was terrible at lying or so he had been told by MC. Although MC was a human lie detector so that could have influenced her opinions.

"Why?"

"I wanted to. Anger issues and all. You should see my cousin. She got sent to a juvenile detention center until she came of age." He said airily. Vanderwood glared at him but said nothing. SC sighed and wandered back to his room. Maybe Jaehee or Zen weren't too busy.

_____

MC cheerfully arranged a purple hairpin Jumin had gotten her on her hair. It was shaped like a purple bow with what she hoped was not an actual amethyst. Knowing Jumin though, it probably was. Still, it was a nice gift, and she liked it. 

She stepped back and after deciding that she was presentable enough she walked out of the room to greet Jumin.

"Good Morning MC," he said with a smile.

"Morning!" She chirped. She was in a pretty good mood today.

"Hmm, are you going somewhere? You generally dress more casually," he commented as she sat next to him grabbing the plate of pancakes already set out for her.

"Ah yeah. I have a meeting with my editor. She'll probably try to convince me to start something new." She was already dreading that conversation no matter how happy she was. What was she supposed to tell the editor? My friends getting kidnapped by a crazy cult obsessed with parties? She'd probably get pressed on to write a book about or something.

"You have plenty of manuscripts that you could give her, though," he commented. It was true. Even with the whole Mint Eye thing, she still tinkered with some of them once in a while, of only to relax.

"Yeah, but those are in their very early stages. I'm at a point in my career where I write more for my benefit than for profit. If I don't like a story, I'm not going to publish it, no matter what my editor says," she explained. 

"So it's more like a hobby now?" He asked her. She nodded.

"A hobby. A well-paying hobby." She told him. He thought for a bit and nodded.

"Like the cat projects I make," he pointed out. MC nodded but decided not to point out that the cat projects weren't that well paying. They chatted about a few other subjects before Jumin had to head off for work. They were saying their goodbyes when a familiar looking woman barged through the front door.

"Jumin!" She said cheerfully. Jumin frowned.

"Are you the maid?" He questioned. "I did want to meet you but I'm afraid we'll have to set an appointment up for that," he said, and MC stifled a laugh. This woman whoever she was, could definitely not be a maid, judging by her clothing and posture.

"What no! Your father didn't tell you?" She asked him. Jumin frowned. 

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," he answered. Then he turned to MC

"I'll have to talk to security about this clearly they are incompetent letting a complete stranger in," he said. MC nodded in agreement, though she couldn't help but find something fishy about the whole thing.

"Oh, who are you? The assistant?" MC turned to glare at the woman. Then she walked out to the call the security guard over.

"Excuse me, please escort this lady outside, please. She has no clearance to be here," she said in the most authoritative voice she could muster.

"What let go of me! You can't do this!" She said. Jumin smiled at her and MC smiled back.

"You took care of that quite quickly. I should expect nothing less from you," he said. MC winked.

"I'm quite the formidable force. That woman, though, I don't have a good feeling about this. Be careful please."

"It's nice to see you worried about me," Jumin said kissing her hand. "Don't worry I'll be careful. I also find something odd about this whole situation."

And so they parted ways, and throughout the whole day, MC couldn't stop thinking about the mysterious woman and why she looked so familiar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, so I probably owe you all an explanation for why this chapter is like two weeks late >_<
> 
> So, unfortunately, my health has been acting up a lot so sometimes I'm simply in no condition to write. Another thing is that I've started school again (whoo senior year!) and my schedule, for now, is horrible. Another big factor would have to be the fact that my Wifi is acting up, and I don't know how long it'll be until it's fixed. I'll do my best to update weekly but it might end up turning into a bi-weekly update schedule depending on how things go.
> 
> Here is[My Tumblr](http://fif-the-writer.tumblr.com/) if you guys want to go follow me, and thanks for all the support on this fic.


	13. Hacked, Stalked and Overworked

Zen wearily opened his apartment door and trudged inside before locking it and collapsing headfirst onto the couch. The director had been piling on a lot of work recently and between that and the RFA, he didn't remember what it was to have free time. He sighed and halfheartedly wiggled out of his coat. He was leaving a huge mess everywhere but he didn't care right now. He needed some rest before he ended up worse than Jaehee that time she passed out.

He pulled off his shoes and went to pull himself something quick to eat when his eyes caught something that woke him up immediately. The frying pan clattered to the floor and the person observing him through the window quickly bolted, but not before Zen managed to snap a picture. He stared at it no longer tired.

MC was video chatting with SC and a very cranky Seven when she got the call.

"Hold the thought," she told SC, recognizing Zen's ringtone.

"Hey, Zen what up?" She asked, ignoring the suggestive looks SC gave her through the screen.

"Myung-Soon..." he said. He sounded out of breath and scared. She quickly sat up, worried.

"Is something wrong Zen?" She asked. Seven and SC shared worried looks through the monitor.

"I... I think I'm being stalked," he finally said.

"What? By who?" She asked.

"What going on?" Seven asked.

"I don't know," Zen said. "I managed to get a sort of blurry picture. This isn't some crazy fan or anything, though... It looks like some sort of Junkie."

MC frowned and absentmindedly bit her nail as she thought.

"That's not good. Be careful and send the picture to Seven, he can look into it." She told him. She heard Zen sigh through the other side of the line.

"Of course. Sorry, I called you so suddenly, I guess I kinda freaked," he said.

"It's fine! Things like theses are important. Who knows what could happen," she told him.

"Thanks, Myung-Soon," he said, sounding much calmer.

"It's no problem," she said cheerfully.

"I'll get out of your head now, bye princess. Mwah!"

"Bye Zen," she said with a giggle and hung up. Seven and SC were smirking at her. She groaned.

"What?"

"You, Jumin and Zen," SC said. "It's an endless triangle of flirting!"

"I was not flirting!" She insisted with a huff. "Let's just go back to what we were talking about."

"Lookie at who is changing the subject," Seven said with a grin. She glared at him.

"Oh shut up. Back to the topic, we gotta tell them."

"I think it's a bit too soon," Seven said. "I mean V had a point in keeping it quiet, it's a bit of a strong topic."

"We are telling them Seven," MC insisted.

"MC is right, they have a right to know, especially with the whole RFA being possibly targeted," SC argued. Seven sighed.

"I just don't think it's the appropriate time," he explained. MC shook her head.

"We're talking about a freaking religious cult that kidnaps people for some sort f messed up part!" She exclaimed. "It's never going to be an appropriate time."

"Plus, we keep something this important from the, we'll end up being just like V," SC said.

"Yes," MC agreed. "Just like V who needs extreme psychological help," she added. Seven crossed his arms over his chest and thought for a long time.

"You're going to tell them regardless aren't you?" He finally said. MC nodded, giving him her best serious look. He sighed yet again.

"Fine. But it has to be in person and somewhere secure." He agreed.

"I'll see if Jumin can free up one of his conference rooms," she offered. Seven nodded in agreement. They said goodbye and MC turned off her webcam. Then she sighed in relief. She had been arguing with him for about two hours now so she was glad he'd finally agreed. There was something Seven still wasn't telling to them and she didn't like that one bit.

She stretched and left her bedroom in search of nourishment. It was well past midnight and she just needed some food so she could go and have some well-deserved sleep. Trying to solve a cult kidnapping while simultaneously organizing charity parties and writing books was not an easy task. If only she could take a vacation.

MC sluggishly walked through the main room, raising a brow in surprise when she spotted Jaehee asleep on the table.

"Oi Jaehee," she whispered, shaking the assistant. She let out a groan before sitting up quickly, nearly hitting MC in the face.

"Wha- oh I feel asleep," she mumbled.

"Yup. You should go home. It's definitely no time to be working." She told her. "Where's Jumin anyways?"

"Ah Mr. Han went off to talk about something with his security team," she said tiredly. "I'll jut finish this and go home." MC frowned. She didn't really like that but she'd rather not interfere. Jaehee knew how far she could go, hopefully, she wouldn't overwork herself.

She sighed. She loved the RFA but most of the time it felt like a huge headache.

Saeran quickly typed, fighting off the sleep that threatened him. He had been locked up in here most of the day. Rika had been very inpatient recently so he had to get this done soon. He didn't like leaving Yoosung alone for so long but it had to be done.

A ring alerted him and he looked up at one of the monitors. He grinned. He had successfully hacked into Rika's apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *You are scrolling through your email when you realize a fic by some person called "Lorella Moon" has updated their fic. You frown. Who could this be?*
> 
> Hahaha... I'm so sorry! I'm still alive. I mean here's a chapter if you guys still haven't forgotten about me >_< I'll do my best to update the next one sooner!
> 
> [Here is my tumblr](http://fif-the-writer.tumblr.com/) It would mean a ton if you went and supported me there. And if you want to go chat, shoot me a message! I love talking to new people!
> 
> Ilysm everyone! <3


	14. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! sorry for being so MIA this past month. As usual I've been sick, though I did manage to make this very tiny chapter. I promise I'll have a full-length chapter within the next two weeks for you guys!

"Leave him alone!" Seven shouted fists clenched tightly at his sides. His chest was heaving rapidly. Stupid Seven, SC thought. Now Vanderwood definitely knew he had something over him. Then he frowned. God, since when had he started thinking like MC?

"I have no reason to touch him as long As you do your work," Vanderwood said calmly, though he had a had casually laid on his taser. SC rolled his eyes. He had been taking self-defense since he was in middle school. Vanderwood could only dream of touching him. Unless he brought backup. Then that might be an issue. He sighed and curled himself up tighter into the corner, cursing his long limbs. This was getting out of hand.

"I will, I just need time," Seven said, his voiced strained. SC risked another peek and the arguing pair of agents. Vanderwood was really annoyed.

"I've given you more than enough time, but all you've done is wasted it protecting your precious RFA and looking for your 'friend'," he said mockingly. "I do hope you remember you aren't supposed to have any, right?" Vanderwood asked him. SC's heart clenched. He couldn't just let this happen, but what could he do? If he hadn't come here, this wouldn't have happened. 

"I'll do it okay! Just don't you dare touch him. I swear to god I'll kill you!" Seven shouted. Vanderwood just rolled his eyes at the statement. He clearly didn't take the threat to heart. SC could see the fire in Sevens eyes. He knew that this threat wasn't empty, and it scared him even more. 

The worst part?

He'd just continue to be useless.

_________

Yoosung knew there was trouble the moment he saw Saeran approach. His listless walk. The way he his eyes behind his hair and he was completely wrapped up in his sweater, shrinking into it as much as he could.

"Children, you can go play down in the valley but don't go any further!"

He said. The group of tykes nodded excitedly and ran down the hill. They wouldn't dare disobey him, he knew as much. It saddened him; these children wouldn't be able to have the freedom they deserved. They should play freely, act out once in a while. They never did. This was no way of life.

"Saeran are you okay?" Yoosung asked in concern as the white haired man stumbled towards him. He held Saeran up and flinched as his hand touched a sliver of skin. He was burning up.

"God Saeran, we need to take you to the infirmary!" Yoosung exclaimed. Saeran shook his head as he carefully lowered himself down to sit, leaning against the tree. 

"J-just a little while," he said stuttering. Yoosung sat beside him and Saeran leaned against his shoulder. He could feel bright red splotch his face, the heat traveling down his neck.

"I'm so tired Yoosung. Rika? She didn't save me. She took Saeyoung away from me. She tortured me. Savior? As if." He spat out, clutching Yoosung's sleeve.

Yoosung embraced the sick, shivering man in his arm.

"It'll be fine," he assured. "One way or another we'll be fine"

And so hoped. That somehow they could get away before Saeran broke for good.


End file.
